Death Note: A Twist in Justice
by James Tanner
Summary: Taking place many years after the original stories, this is a tale of horror and awe that can only be dreamed about. Featuring new characters and much more evil people, this is a story for the ages. FYI, I hold no rights to any refrences in this story.
1. Chapter 1

**Title- **_Death Note: A Twist in Justice_

**Disclaimer- **Hey people, I do not own Death Note, Don't Stop, or any other references that are made in this story. This epic tale was created merely for my own as well as any reader's personal enjoyment. However, I do hope to one day inform the creators of Death Note of this story's existence and hopefully talk to them about possibly making it a real tale. :)

**Summary- **Many years after the events of the original Death Note stories, one boy has been granted the chance of a lifetime, the ability to smite the people of earth in any way he sees fit. However, a boy trained by Near himself taking the role of L has caught wind of this boy and will stop at nothing to stop him. Read and be amazed as this epic tale unfolds.

**Author's Note- **Some of this story may not make sense because the L in this story talks about a Kira that he helped defeat. I one day plan on making a prequel for this story that explains that in further detail. Also, this book is supposed to have a sequel, saying that, I should warn you that this book has a huge cliffhanger. :)

**WARNING- **This book contains violence, murder, gore, and strong language. This story is not suitable for young readers or people with a strong religious viewpoint (no offence to anybody).

**Please enjoy the story, and I beg you, comment please! :)**

* * *

**Prologue**

In every human, in every soul, in every mind, there is a part of him or her that wants to change the world. A majority of people want this to be for the better, but there are some that want it for the worse. Then there are some yet that start out trying to make it better, but in reality are making worse. Those last people I mentioned are not necessarily evil, but are more so changed somehow to think in such a way. Usually the people like that start out doing good, but then something happens to change how they go about doing it. Something happens that changes them for the worse. Something happens . . . that alters who they are . . .

But then again, sometimes there are people that are just evil. Let your own judgment let you decide how this story ends. With the evil being evil, or the evil just being an altered lost soul.

**The Thread That Bound Fate**

The shinigami realm, a dark, nasty looking place. Giant bones grew from the ground like evil trees, and the ground appeared scorched. If you could imagine the Earth after a nuclear holocaust and all life extinguished except for the shriveled remains of plants, you would know how the shinigami realm looks. On this special day though, a twist in fate was about to occur . . .

Somewhere in the realm of the gods of death, a group of three shinigami sat talking about random topics. One appeared to be a skeleton in robes with red marks all over the bones, another looked like a giant slug with arms and legs, and the other looked like a tall, pale humanoid with clothes. The skeleton lifted up a hand.

"So there I was, surrounded by people, having just accidentally dropped my death note. I then quickly pick it up, write down all their names for fun, and watch them all collapse. It was freaking hilarious." The slug shook its head after hearing the story.

"Rouge, you're a complete imbecile. All you ever do is laugh at people, swing your scythe around, and pretend to see into the future." Rouge's eye sockets filled with a red gas and made it look like a red sun was in each of his sockets.

"Quiet Midra, _you_ are the imbecile, and I_ can_ see into the future on the rare occasion."

"Yeah right."

"And you think I'm bad, all you ever do is follow Ryuk around like a yes-man and eat bananas."

"Why I out to..." The two began to bicker, so to save herself from the continuous fighting of Rouge and Midra, the third shinigami got up and left.

The third shinigami was a humanoid style goddess named Ito. At the moment, she was bored out of her mind, and wished there was more to do in the shinigami realm than gamble, tell stories, and kill people. She walked for about a half hour, until she heard cackling behind her.

"You are so bored, aren't you Ito?" She turned around, and sitting on the tip of a giant rip jetting from the ground, was another human shaped shinigami. He wore pitch-black clothes and silver jewelry. His grotesque skin was a dead blue color. Over his shoulders, he wore a brown garb that covered him like a small jacket. His yellow eyes looked as if they had no iris or pupil anymore. The god lifted his clawed hand up to his mouth and took a bite out of something he held. Ito laughed.

"Ryuk, you clown. Why do you eat those things, we don't need food. And to answer your question, yes, I am in fact bored." Ryuk shot a pair of dark wings from his back and flew off the rib. When he landed, he retracted his large wings. He walked over to Ito, still chewing his bright red apple.

"I cured my boredom. Do you want to know how?" She nodded in interest. "Good. Many years ago, I went to the gate to Earth, and dropped my second Death Note. A human found it, became what the humans called Kira, and then I finished him off when he got boring."

"I have heard you tell this story before to a group of people. That is old news." Ryuk smiled and finished off his apple in one bite.

"I know, a lot of shinigami already know my story, but it worked. Now, I have a tale to tell, and I get bored less often. Why don't you do the same? It might cure you, and who knows...maybe more." He then extended his wings again and flew away into the dark and dreary sky, laughing the whole time. She giggled and continued walking.

She continued walking, until she got to an area near the gate to Earth. She looked around. All she could see were the giant orbs that were the 'holes in the world,' a few random shinigami, and a few giant tornadoes in the distance. She then turned and looked at the long staircase that led to the gate. She thought a moment, and then laughed. "Fine Ryuk, you're on. If this does not cure my boredom, you're the one I will blame." She then walked down the staircase, and went to the big ball of light that many called the gate. She extended her large wings, and walked into the light, to see that inside was the planet Earth.

Heavy rain fell from the dark sky as she flew over a large city at night. As she flew, she could hear music. It was loud, yet she thought it was wonderful. She smiled as she saw the school in the distance with the lights still on. She smiled widely, for she knew someone tonight would pick up her notebook. Someone tonight, would never be the same again...

* * *

New York, a busy place filled with busy people. On this particular day however, one high school decided not to be busy, but to hold a dance in the gymnasium. On the back wall of the gym, a large stage was there for when they would hold plays, or for this particular moment, a band.

Students danced, and on stage the curtain was closed, but was not empty. Behind the curtain, a band was preparing to sing. The band consisted of students all on an assortment of electric instruments. As the band was getting ready, one of the members sat on a stool by the wall. His face was depressed and his heart was heavy. He was definitely in the mood to play an instrument. The boy wore a white shirt with two black stripes running up and down the arms and a pair of faded blue jeans. This fourteen-year-old boy was Matt Keehl. He was the youngest kid in his class, and part of the band called _Gorgon's Bane_. However, on this day, he was very depressed. He may be in the hottest band in school that everyone loved, but when he wasn't in the band, everyone hated him. Everyday bullies would constantly harass him and give him hell. Some days he just wanted to die.

He looked up a moment at his fellow band members, and then dropped his gaze once more and sighed. _Oh God I hate my life. _He thought to himself. _I hate the bullies, I hate the homework, I hate the teachers, and I hate school._ He continued to think of all the things he hated in his life, when suddenly a dark thought ran through his head. _I wish I could just kill all the mean kids in school, and have no consequences. I wish all those bullies could just die! _At that moment, a fellow band member ran up to him. Matt looked up at him. "What is it?"

"The rest of us had a vote on what song we should do and it was unanimous that we want to play 'Don't Stop.' You know very well that you're the only one with the voice to sing it." Matt looked at him oddly.

"Me? We've never sung that song outside of practice before. Plus it says Fuck twice? How is that even remotely appropriate for school?" The boy just smiled.

"Oh, come on Matt. We all know you can do it, plus you love the song. What do you say?" Matt looked down, and then smiled slyly.

"Sure, what the hell. Let me grab my goggles." The other boy then lightly punched Matt on the shoulder.

"That's the spirit. Let's give these students a real show."

In the gymnasium, students chatted and danced, until all of a sudden all the lights except the ones on the stage turned off. The curtain opened to show the band at their instruments and Matt standing at the front with a microphone, only now he was also wearing a blue vest jacket and a black pair of goggles with red lenses. Slowly the music began to play, the students watching in awe. It played slowly and calmly, but then out of nowhere, it began to get fast and the players began to use their instruments roughly. Then Matt began to sing.

"The road I walk is paved in gold  
To glorify my platinum soul  
I'll buy my way to talk to God  
So he can live with what I'm not.  
The selfish blood runs through my veins  
I gave up everything for fame  
I am the life that you adore  
I feed the rich and fuck the poor.  
I got, you want  
It's just, don't stop  
I got, you want  
It's just, don't stop.  
This is entertainment  
Lives are entertainment  
You are down on your knees  
Begging me for more.  
The road I walk is paved in gold  
To glorify my platinum soul  
I am the closest thing to God  
So worship me and never stop.  
The wretched blood runs through my veins  
I gave up everything for fame  
I am the life that you adore  
Now feed the rich, fuck the poor.  
I got, you want  
It's just, don't stop  
I got, you want  
It's just, don't stop.  
This is entertainment  
Lives are entertainment  
You are down on your knees  
Begging me for more.  
Dear future,  
I bought you,  
I own the rights  
To let go  
Destroy you  
This is my life.  
Dear future, I bought you  
I own the rights,  
To let go  
Destroy you  
This is my life....inside.....I've got, you want  
This is, don't stop  
I've got, you want  
It just, don't stop.  
This is entertainment  
Lives are entertainment  
You are down on your knees  
Begging me for more.  
(Begging me for more)  
Begging me for more.  
(I've got, you want  
It's just, don't stop)"

As soon as the song finished, the students cheered and the curtains closed. And with that song, the dance was over. Behind the curtain, the band members began to pack up. Matt was taking off his goggles as the principle stormed onto the stage. "Do you students realize that that song was totally inappropriate?" Matt didn't say anything. Instead one of the other members walked over to the principle.

"Chill man, the students loved it. That's what it's all about isn't, what the students want?" The principle frowned.

"Next time censor it or warn us first. Got that?" They all nod. "Good night students." He then walked away.

The rain poured down hard as Matt walked home from the school. He had a light jacket on with the hood over his head. He walked for almost a half hour in the rain until he tripped. He fell face first into a puddle. He sneered as he stood up, just to have a car drive by and splash more water on him. "What the heck!" He yelled aloud. He turned around to see what he had tripped on, and looked at it in confusion. It was a black notebook that seemed to be perfectly dry regardless of all the rain falling on it. He walked over to it and picked it up. On its cover in silver letters were the words 'Death Note.' He looked at it oddly, and then carried it home so he could look at it.

Once at home, he took his shoes off and hung his wet jacket on the rack on the wall. On the wall, a clock read eight o'clock. His mother came to him smiling. "Hey sweetie, how was the dance?" Matt just looked at her blankly and shrugged.

"Whatever." He then went up to his room, his mom frowning. She looked over at her husband who was sitting on his chair.

"I worry about him sometimes."

"Don't worry about it honey, he will be fine." Matt's mom nodded and went back to the kitchen to wash dishes.

Matt went in his room and pulled out the notebook. He sat at his desk and opened it in front of him. On the page, facing him was a small list of rules:

_How to Use:_

_1. The human whose name is written in this note shall die._

_2. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected._

_3. If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen._

_4. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack._

_5. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds._

He laughed as he read this. Then a chill went down his spine as a female laugh came from behind him. "It appears you think this is a joke, or maybe you just find it funny." Matt looked at the wall in front of him in horror as a tall humanoid shadow loomed over him. Matt slowly turned around, and opened his mouth to scream, but the tall humanoid covered his mouth so he could not. "Do not worry human, I am here not to hurt you, but... to help you. With this book, you can do a lot to this world. I can guarantee that." Matt smiled slightly as he stared at her. The humanoid removed her hand from Matt's face.

"What are you?" She laughed deep in her throat.

"Me? I'm a shinigami, a goddess of death, if you will. I dropped this death note to Earth so I could teach some human about it, and its powers. Use it well. However, now that you own it, I have to stay with you at all times."

"Are there any consequences?"

"Only the ones of the soul, no more, no less." The shinigami's disfigured face leered at Matt.

"So, do you have a name?" She giggled deep in her throat.

"You can call me...Ito." She smiled at him. "This should certainly be interesting..."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Mirror in the Step of the God**

Across the United States, a man sat alone on the floor looking at a laptop in front of him. He cleared his throat and talked into a microphone attached to the computer. "Thus, it appears the odd deaths were not murders, but were nothing more than a severe case of food poisoning somebody missed. However...the case of the boy in Japan has officially ended for all I care. A girl was arrested and was said to have something to do with the murders the people called 'Kira's Return' but she says she knows nothing. If something happens that she confesses, call me. All I cared about was the boy...but he was killed." The computer screen showed an office with people looking into the screen like a window.

"Nevertheless, sir, the murders were never explained, no weapon found, no witness other than the girl. How did he kill?" The man in the empty room smiled, but they could not see him. All they could see was a blank, white screen with a bold face letter L.

"You see, my previous two predecessors figured it out, and they even decided to tell you...but you decided not to believe the reason. After hearing of this, I have decided _not_ to tell you. At this, I depart. Good day gentlemen, and farewell." He then turned off the computer. "John Tia, A.K.A. Kira number 5, dead, just like Kira number one, the second Kira, X Kira, and C Kira. If any Kira clones, look alike, or even reincarnations appear, L will surely see to them, and make sure they disappear. I am justice..."

* * *

Matt stared into Ito's large eyes. "B-but what's a death note?" Ito grinned.

"The rules explained that. You write the name of the person you want dead, and they die of a heart attack unless written otherwise."

"So, where will you stay?"

"Right here. You see, only those that touch the death note can hear and see me. Therefore, unless you make it obvious I am here, nobody will even know I exist." Ito walked to a corner and leaned on the wall. She spotted a bowl of apples on his counter. She reached out, grabbed one, and ate it. It was ok, she thought. She yawned ostentatiously and pointed at Matt with a long purple claw. "Now, I'm going to give you one rule, don't rely on me to tell you anything more than what is needed." She then went back to eating her apple.

Matt turned his attention back to the notebook and Ito pulled a sketchbook out of her pocket along with a pencil. Matt reexamined the rules, when Ito giggled. "Hey Matt, look what I drew." She showed him the page, and on it was a black and white picture of her on a rock. "Pretty cool huh?" He nodded and went back to reading the rules.

"So, to get this straight, I'm going to ask once more. You're a shinigami, and with this book, I can eliminate people with just their name and face." Ito nodded. "This kind of power is unworldly. I need a pen." He grabbed a pen off a desk and clicked it. He touched the page with the pen. For a moment, he did nothing, and then he wrote the name of the biggest bully in his school. He left the name unaccompanied by any other words, so the kid would just die in 40 seconds of a heart attack. He then closed the book. Ito giggled darkly.

"There you go, that kid will now die for your personal gain. Actually, that's a little funny." She giggled again and picked up another apple after finishing the one she had. "So, your parents, they may not be able to see me, but they can see whatever I'm holding. Therefore, if you like, I could just... I dunno, refrain from doing anything conspicuous when anyone's around. Then again...you can't exactly tell me what to do. You get on my bad side, and I can just write your name down in _my_ death note." Matt went pale.

"What? You mean you have an extra death note? So you could just kill me off at any time." She grinned revealing a mouth of very sharp teeth.

"Yup, pretty much. Since I'm in such a great mood right now, I'll tell you a rule. A shinigami is required to have at least two notebooks before giving one away."

"Wait there are more rules?"

"Yup, I just put the basics in the notebook. I will tell you others as time progresses, maybe...if I feel like it. Anyhoo, you don't have to worry about me doing anything where another could see. That's the one favor I will do for you."

Matt smiled crookedly. "I have a feeling you're not going to do me any favors." Ito looked up from her apple and smiled.

"You got it. Think of me as...your audience. I'm just here for the show."

* * *

Back in California, the same man sat on the floor looking at the computer. The man was about 6' tall with long, straight, dark brown hair sticking in all directions. His eyes were the same color as his hair. He wore a long sleeve, plain black shirt and a pair of old khaki cargo pants. He also had a pair of black framed glasses, and a silver colored watch with a black band. He stood up, walked over to a table, and picked up a candy bar. He ate it in about 30 seconds and then threw the wrapper in the trashcan. A knock came from his door.

"Come in." The door opened and an elderly man came in. He wore a black suit, had a small grey beard and mustache, and a pair of small glasses. "Oh, it's just you Watari." Watari was actually a man named Ron Masters, but he was always called Watari. The boy was called L, but his real name was Ryan York. Watari was holding a suitcase and he set it on the table.

"You need to see this sir." He opened the case, and inside was a single file. The file was of a boy named Joseph Thomas. He went to school in New York. L reads the file to discover the boy died of a heart attack earlier that same day.

"A boy dying of a heart attack, how very odd. For now, it's nothing, but if it occurs again, it is a chance, and if it happens a third time, it is most defiantly Kira. Thank you." L returned the file, and Watari took it back and left. As soon as he did, L let out his breath. "I pray that it is not Kira, I do not know if I can take him on again."

* * *

That night, Matt got ready for bed, Ito looming over him. "Do you have to watch me change? It's creeping me out."

"Oh, sorry." She turned around as he changed, then when he was done, looked at him. Matt lay in his bed, his eyes closed. "Strange, you seem to have no regret for killing the boy, you must be hard to unsettle. Oh well, good night Matt. Sweet dreams." She then giggled as he drifted to sleep.

That night, Matt had many nightmares of odd creatures looking at him. For some reason, he thought they were shinigami, but they could not have been. The next day though, he felt great. He got up to see Ito wandering the room. "Good morning Matt, have a nice sleep?" He nodded, even though he did not.

"So, how did you sleep?"

"I did not. I don't need to sleep. I just wandered the house and stared at you most of the night. Seeing you sleep fascinates me." He began getting ready for school, and as he did, Ito wandered the house. When he was done, he went down stairs and found her looking at their cat Eva. His parents were still asleep.

"So, you coming with me or are you going to do your own thing."

"I'm required to stay with you, remember. I have to stay with you until I write your name in my death note." Matt frowned.

"You're going to write my mane down?" Ito giggled.

"Yup, it's another rule. Even if you die some other way, I still have to write your name down to be 100% sure you're dead. Therefore, I see it, as I should be the one to kill you, so don't get boring." Matt shivered, then walked to school, Ito floating silently behind him.

When they reached the school, some of the kids were crying in the parking lot. He ignored it at first, but then when he got inside the building, even more people were crying and gloomy looking. Matt found one of his friends. "Hey Alex, what's going on?"

"You don't know? Joseph Thomas died. Last night he had a heart attack. He was mean, but he was way too young." Alex then walked away, leaving a dumbstruck Matt behind. His eyes widened, his skin grew cold and pale, and his mouth stood ajar. In his mind, many thoughts raced.

_Oh god, what did I do...the death note...it works._ Ito's eyes narrowed and a sneer of a smile stole her lips, one of her fangs showing. She slowly opened her lips and talked slow and calmly in a way that made the hairs on Matt's neck stand on end.

"He ha ha! Oh, foolish human. You dared to doubt that which you held was real, and now they very death you caused has surprised you. You have so much to learn." She leaned by his ear and whispered. "You might want to strengthen your soul for the things to come, because from here on out...the only monsters you will need to deal with are me...and your own soul." Matt reached in his pocket and pulled out his death note.

"I...I killed a kid. But...but I can do this. I have the power." Ito rose tall and laughed loudly.

"You think you have what it takes to bear witness to the power of such a hexed object. Where do you have this power when here you stand in a cold sweat like an old woman waking from a nightmare?" Matt turned and looked into Ito's large eyes. Ito could not tell what she saw, but in Matt's eyes was not the same boy, but someone else.

"In my hands is the means...in my heart the will..."

* * *

Somewhere in the bleak world that is the home of the shinigami, a shinigami of high rank loomed above a cowering shinigami of almost no rank. The large shinigami grinned, revealing his three rows of razor like teeth.

"Oh, I caught you. Let us see shall we." He reached in his pocket, pulled out a grape piece of candy, and shoved it in his mouth. He then pulled out a scroll and unraveled it. On it were a set of unreadable letters to humans, but to the shinigami made perfect sense. "Now let us see, you killed a man. Oh, how common, oh, but what is this?" The much smaller shinigami below him shook horribly. "Oh my, this won't due at all." He made a clicking noise with his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "No sir, you killed the man...with your bare hands. Pity, I'm afraid you're just going to have to die. But don't fear, you have one year left to live. The only problem is, that entire year you will face the most horribly imaginable and unimaginable torture you can receive. Take him away boys." Two big shinigami took the small one and flew him to the great shinigami king himself. The shinigami then rolled the scroll back up and shoved it back in his pocket. Behind him, two more shinigami followed him.

The shinigami were a group of law enforcers in the realm, the only ones. The main one was Gred (said like Dread). He is the one that had the scroll. He is about 9' tall and lean. On his torso, he wore dark, midnight blue armor with gold and red designs and a rust colored frill of fur around his neck, and on his head a helmet of the same kind of armor. He stood with a crouch due to the size of his mass armor. His neck and arms were made of black tubes that could extend and retract at his will. The rest of his body was just dark colored skin and a pair of brown, torn up pants as well as a pair of shingards. His armor was almost like that of a Spartan and a Samuri mixed together.

The other shinigami were a grim reaper-like one named Death, and the other a mix between a humanoid thing and a goat skeleton named Rictor. These two just followed Gred like a couple of fan girls to a popular movie star. Well, actually I should say Death did, Rictor could care less about life. He just followed him because he had nothing better to do.

Gred laughed a couple times with his abnormally deep voice, and then let out a sigh. "Boys, this place is getting...I don't know...dull." Rictor sighed.

"Well duh! What is there to do other than watch humans die and gamble?" Gred nodded.

"Precisely, I..." Death cut him off and looked at Rictor.

"What do you mean nothing? This place is all right. I say we explore."

"Explore what? Gred hates exploring and I do too."

"Well I..." Gred tuned them out and the two eventually began wrestling to prove their point. He ignored it and just walked away.

"I hate those twits. Why do I let them follow me? I miss John to tell the truth. Why did that L guy have to kill him?" Then he giggled and pulled out his death note. "Whom am I kidding? I wrote his name down. I killed him." He flipped to a page of the book and on it written in blue ink was:

_John Tia, tries to save girlfriend and is shot to death by L's agents for being Kira._

"Oh well, maybe I can find somebody more interesting than John to play my perfect game." From his mane of rust colored fur, a pair of wings shot out and he flew to the door to Earth. He went in and flew over a town. From the sky, he dropped his book of death, and laughed as almost just the time it fell to the ground, a man picked it up. "Oh my, this will be fun." He then put another piece of grape candy in his mouth...

* * *

After all the students arrived at school, the teachers got all the students gathered in the gymnasium so the principal could talk to them all about the death. As the principal talked, Matt stayed in his own thoughts, still shaken up about his new power. _This book, it is more than a killing machine. No, I can do more with it; maybe I can change the world. _Ito floated above Matt grinning at him, knowing exactly what he must be thinking. _This book, I can...no...I will use it. I will change the Earth from being evil and corrupt, to being a haven for all humankind. I will be the savior of my race...I will change them!_

Throughout the rest of Matt's school day following the assembly, Ito wandered the classroom, amusing herself by making hideous faces in front of the entire class. Matt was in his desk bent over his work, pointedly ignoring her. She looked over at Matt and laughed. "Say Matt." She walked over to him, Matt still looking at his work.

"What is it?" Matt hisses, hoping that no one notices.

"Do you think this is scary?"

"Hmm?" Looking up, Matt's eyes grew wide and he had to stifle the scream that welled up in his throat. Ito's face was inches from his, sharp teeth leering down at him in a grotesque grin, eyes bugging out of her face. Forgetting to be quiet, he lashed out at the shinigami. "Yes, that's scary. Now will you shut up and leave me alone?" The class turned to stare at him and Matt turned red. The teacher was not in the room at the moment, so he was a little happier, but still embarrassed out of his wits. He returned to his work with an angry look on his face. On a scrap piece of paper, he scribbled down a note and shoved it into Ito's line of sight. _You said you wouldn't do anything conspicuous!_

"Well, I certainly did not expect you to be so indiscreet. Why didn't you write a note in the first place? Besides that, I was bored. How can you manage to sit through this repetitive class and not burst out in anger?"

_There is more to come. Just try to contain yourself, will you?_

Ito grumbled to herself, but eventually resumed her pranks on the other students.

At lunchtime, Ito followed Matt to the cafeteria. She grunted once from her severe boredom. "So...what tedious classroom do we visit next? I really hope it is necrology, because I'm bored out of my ever loving mind." Matt sighed from his annoyance of her attitude.

"We don't have necrology as a class, nor do I think it even exists. Right now it's lunch time. Would you at least try not to ask me questions when we are around people?"

"Fine...what's for lunch?"Matt just growled and loaded celery sticks onto his plate.

"Hmm, what are those? Are they like apples?" Ignoring Ito, Matt found a seat near his friends. One of his friends looked at Matt oddly.

"Hey Matt, are you not planning to eat today?" Matt looked down at his tray to see it completely empty. He began to grow red with frustration. "I'm going to kill her for this." The kid looked at him in confusion.

"What?"

"Nothing." He got up and looked for Ito. He found her concealed beneath an empty table munching contentedly on Matt's celery. "What the heck are you doing?" She looked up at him and smiled, still chewing on the green stalks.

"Being inconspicuous. No one's looking under the tables, except you. Anyhoo, I just _had_ to try this celery stuff. It's great! Wait until I tell Ryuk!" Matt snatched the plate from her.

"Look, I will make a deal with you. In return for not bothering me in public, I will get you all the celery you want..._AT HOME! _Ok?" She nodded eagerly.

"Fine with me! My lips are sealed." She then ran her index and thumb fingers over her mouth as if she was zipping it up. Matt nodded, and then went to get more food for himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Dread in All Our Minds**

Back in California, L closed a book in his room after he returned to his home. He stared at it with a pensive look. "So...this is it huh. This is the key to all I have worked for." A deep laugh came from his front, and an evil looking head in a Spartan styled helmet with horns got right in front of his face.

"Yes, this is the death note. It's odd you found it, since you are the cause of its previous owners death." Gred crunched his candy. He then grabbed another grape one and shoved it in his mouth. L nodded.

"Did you hear his fiancé has committed suicide in prison with a piece of mirror she found?" Gred laughed deep in his throat.

"Yes, I did. I saw her do it. She could not see or hear me, for she lost all memory of the notebook, but I was right there, laughing hysterically. I love watching suicides. Actually to tell the truth, I like watching any kind of death really." L looked up at Gred through his glasses.

"So you put all the rules in this notebook, why? Wouldn't that ruin the fun for you?"

"Actually, my notebook is in my pocket. I got that one from another shinigami. He had bad memory, so he put all the rules in the front as soon as he got it. You see, as I told you when we met, I am the sole enforcer of shinigami law in my world. So, if I capture a shinigami and turn him in, I get their book after they die. I own 23 books right now. The others are back in my world though." L had read all the rules that were in the book moments before. The book was all black except for a line of white symbols on the top and bottom, and the words 'Death-Note' on the cover in silver letters. Gred laughed deep in his throat and circled L. "Is it fear or courage that compels you human?" L looked up at Gred.

"Compels me to do what?" Gred smiled, then leaned on the front of the table and looked L in the eyes.

"What compels _you_... to help this simple minded and vile race?" L looked at Gred, confidence in his eyes.

"What compels me...is the hope that all humans should live in peace, with justice and good will at their sides." Gred laughed.

"Humans don't deserve to live." L frowned.

"They should decide that on their own. I know they may not want me, but I have kept the order for some time now."

"You'are not like the others. You dare argue with a high ranked shinigami." He once again got right up to L's face. "Maybe you'are a special one...one with...greatness in store for them. Hyuk hyuk hyuk." He then stood up, still slightly hunched as always, and crunched his candy. "Now...what do _you_ plan to do with this book?" What L was going to do with the cursed book, only time could tell.

* * *

After school ended, and Ito happily munched on celery beside him, they went home. He went to his room and sat down with his death note. "Ito, today I realized something." She made a loud crunch with the celery.

"Yeah, what?"

"I can use this notebook for more than my own gain. I can use it...for justice." Ito smiled, for she had heard Ryuk's tale, and this is exactly how it played out. She slowly walked over to Matt as he flipped open the hexed book. She handed him a pen.

"So, you going to write a name...for justice then?" He nodded, and she took another bite of celery.

"Yes. I heard of a pedophile living in this town. I got his picture and name...so he deserves to die." He reached in a pocket and pulled out a photo with a name written on it. Ito giggled as he wrote down the name. When he was finished, he smiled. This book was changing Matt, little by little...and Ito knew it.

* * *

L closely examined the death note for any signs of something else that might kill people other than magic. The only thing he could find were a list of people the previous Kira killed (some of them possibly actually being from the shinigami), and on the inside front cover was a symbol. Beside the symbol was a letter B and a note reading:

_Dear reader: whoever finds this death note, please return it to Gred the shinigami, because if you do not I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN! Thank you._

L, unable to find anything useful, opened his laptop and looked to see if he had any messages. He saw that he had one from Watari. It said that a pedophile died in some town in New York. L smiled. "Strike two, one more and I will be 100% certain it is Kira." Gred laughed and ate more candy.

"So, now I get to see how you do it. Hyuk hyuk hyuk, this will be fun..."

* * *

After Matt wrote the name, he got an idea. He looked up at Ito. "Hey Ito, what if instead of writing just one name down, why not write many names down and change the world faster." Ito just smiled, showing her enjoyment. Matt opened the book again and went on his computer to look up criminals. He found 17 people and wrote all of their names. When he was done, he smiled and dropped his pen. Ito just simply laughed aloud.

"Now you are truly using the death note to it's full potential. However, can you handle it? Can you bear to take the lives of people just for a better world already doomed to fail. Matt nodded.

"I must if we are all to change...I must."

* * *

An hour later, L lay down on his bed, Gred wandering the house, when an alert came on his computer. It was another e-mail from Watari. "Huh, I wonder what he wants." He pried himself off the mattress, and went to his computer, opening the message. It read:

_L, turn on the TV and see the news. I'm afraid he has once again returned. -W_

L turned on the TV and turned on the news. A news bulletin was on and a woman spoke.

"This just in, 17 convicted criminals all die of heart attacks. It makes me fearful, but I'm afraid that the lord of the new world, Kira, is back for vengeance." L smiled and a new e-mail appeared. It is a list of all the killed criminals. Gred rose out of the floor like a demon and floated over to L's side. L looked over at him.

"It appears my rival has returned." Gred laughed.

"And so it seems..."

* * *

About the same time L turned on his TV, Matt clicked on the TV and saw the news report. After it ended, Matt smiled. "I don't know who Kira is, but I guess I'm the lord of the new world now." Ito chuckled a little.

"I guarantee things would get more interesting if you were the ruler, but oh well. Let life take its course. On another topic, it was fun while you wrote the names, but I'm bored. Don't you do anything other than sit here all day?" Just as she finished the sentence, the room got quiet. The TV just went white, no picture or sound. Matt had his back to the TV, so he did not see the odd-looking L fade onto the screen. Ito smiled, for she had heard from Ryuk what that L meant. "Never mind, here comes the fun." Matt sat for a moment trying to think what she meant by that, when he heard a distorted, monotone voice. As it talked, Matt turned to face the screen.

"Hello. If you are hearing me right now, then you should now this broadcast is being played worldwide on every channel. You may not know who I am, so let me introduce myself. I...am L. My persona and appearance is nothing more than just the black letter you see before you. My real appearance, you will never know. I am interrupting all television channels to tell you, I am after the one many people have come to know or will soon know as Kira. In Japan earlier this year, I captured a person titled Kira, but only a select group of people in Japan knew I caught him, now the world knows. At this moment, he is dead, just like the new Kira shall be soon. Kira, if you can hear me, I will find you, and you will die. You will lose, and I shall win, for I...am justice..." The white screen with the L on it disappeared and the news channel came back on, talking about something. Matt sat in his chair stunned, and Ito remained standing, chuckling.

* * *

After L finished the broadcast, Gred laughed. "So that is how you did the eerie broadcast huh. Pretty cool. I have to admit, you are a lot smarter than I thought when I was with John." L nodded, and went to his computer. He went on his secret e-mail account and sent a message to the leader of his task force. The letter read:

_Dear Mr. Aster Maxwell head of the Kira Task Force:_

_I know you saw my live broadcast, so you know Kira is back. I want you on the case following him once again. From the evidence I have, the first two murders were in New York, so I want you and all your men to search all of New York. For now, I will be moving to New York so I will be closer to Kira if that is where he lives. If my calculations are correct, he is either a student of a certain school, a parent of a student in the same school, or a teacher of the school. I will be going to this school to see for myself. I am 15 and the school is a high school, so I should blend in, aside from my quirks. Do as I say ASAP._

_-L_

L then began packing his things and alerted Watari that they were moving to New York. Watari agreed, and then asked a question. "Oh, but L, what will our names be when we move?" L thinks a moment.

"I shall be...hmm...Jeremiah. Yes, a biblical name, it is common for someone to have a biblical name, and you shall be my grandfather, Roger. Our last name...shall be Tia. I have already purchased a hotel in the area; we will stay in the top floor. We will equip everything once we get there. Prepare to leave." Watari nodded and walked off. Gred crunched his candy and got a new one.

"Going on a road trip I see and taking my old owners last name as your own too. How very interesting. Hyuk hyuk hyuk. I really hope you keep me more amused than John. It was always his love for Sora that he talked about, never action like you. I like you, no mushy love here, no sir. I'm rambling aren't I?" L nodded. "Oh well, I like hearing myself talk." As soon as they were ready, the task force, L, and Watari (as well as Gred, but only L knew about him) took a private jet to New York.

* * *

Matt sat in his chair, staring into the screen of his television for about three minutes. Ito put her hand up to her mouth and giggled. "Oh Matt, what's wrong? Going to give up already?" Matt still sat there. "Come on Matt, say something."

"Ok Ito, there is a 74% chance that L lives in the US, and a 56% chance he already lives in New York or is moving to New York." Ito stood there confused.

"What do you mean?" Matt quickly turned around.

"Did you notice when he said he just caught the Kira in Japan?"

"Yeah, so."

"He is trying to tell me he has access to the government all around the world. Because later on he said that he was broadcasting this message all around the world."

"So?"

"_Twice!_ He told me he was airing the message everywhere twice. This L character has a tendency to repeat things more than once."

"Ok, so."

"Therefore, he just told me, whether he knew it or not, which I doubt he did, that he lives in the US."

"Ok, I guess. I don't really see how you got that, but ok."

"I am going to find you L, even if it kills the ones I love." Ito giggles.

"I notice you didn't say yourself, he he he."

"You are going to die L, and _you _are not justice, for _I_ am justice. _I_ am God." Matt started laughing hysterically, and Ito just stood there thinking to herself how fun this was all going to be, how long Matt and L will live, and which one will win.

That night, while Matt was sleeping, Ito crept out of his room and began an invisible flight through the darkened world. She headed towards the northwestern US, before dropping a notebook in a small area just outside of Seattle, Washington. It landed in a puddle formed by the recent rainstorm, the words 'Death Note' shining eerily in the lamp-lit street. Ito chuckled to herself as she watched down at her handiwork.

Ito sighs dramatically. "It's a pity, that's my last one. Gred has all the luck. This had better work." A faint glimmer of light showed on the horizon, and it did not take long for Ito to remember the time difference between Washington and New York. Matt would be getting up soon. She flapped her bat-like wings and took off, smiling to herself as she watched the notebook disappear from view.

The next morning, Matt woke up, got ready for school, and left for school after saying farewell to his parents. Once there, he sat in his first period class waiting for the teacher, until the class went very silent. A person had just walked into the room that nobody had ever seen. He wore a black, long sleeve shirt, a pair of beige cargo pants, a watch, and a pair of glasses. He had straight but messy dark brown hair, and eyes of the same color that had dark bags under them. When he stood, he crouched with his hands in his pockets. The teacher walked in. "Oh, sorry I'm late, I was just getting the new student acquainted. I hope you make him feel right at home. His name is Jeremiah Tia." Ito's eyes widened, and then she smiled. She begins to chuckle. Matt ignored her. "Now introduce yourself." He walked around the room once, and then went back before the class.

"Hello, my name is Jeremiah. I hope you accept me and learn to be my friends. Hi." He then sat down in a desk beside Matt. He looked over once at the door, then back at the teacher. Ito leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Hey Matt, I never told you about the eyes, did I?" Matt took out a piece of paper and a pencil and began to write something.

_What eyes?_

"The shinigami eyes. They let you see a human's real name and their current life span. The only thing is that the life span is in a number code, and you don't know how to decipher it."

_Why didn't you tell me before? And why do you feel the need to tell me n..._ Matt quickly jolted up because Jeremiah was staring at him at about two inches from his face.

"Hello, I am Jeremiah. And who may you be?" He looked at Ito for a moment, noticing her giggle.

"Uh, I'm Matt. Nice to meet you." Jeremiah kept staring at him for about 30 seconds and then quickly jolted back to his seat. Matt pulled back out the notebook and wrote: _Who the heck is he? _Ito just smiled.

"That's Jeremiah, didn't you hear him?" Matt just sat in class wondering why he specifically chose him to look stupidly at, why he acted and looked so strange, and why Ito was snickering right beside him.

After a few minutes in class, Ito looked over and saw Gred standing beside Jeremiah. He was looking at some kid secretly play a handheld video game. Ito had heard rumors of Gred enjoying the video games of Earth, so she figured that is why he was watching him. Ito waved at Gred to get his attention without Matt noticing, and then walked through the wall and into the hallway. Gred followed her silently.

Once in the hallway, Ito smiled at Gred. "So, I see you have a new human. I thought you hated people." Gred laughed using his deep, evil sounding voice.

"I do, but following this human around might make the repetitive boringness of home go away. Plus, he is the new L." Ito nodded.

"No kidding?"

"Nope, he knows someone here is Kira, but he isn't 100% sure who it is. L is smart, Matt will never figure out he is L." He crunched his candy and then got a new one.

"You always were strange. Well, knowing you, you won't tell L that Matt is Kira."

"Nope, that would be extremely dull, I want him to soak in the information around him and figure it out himself. He saw that fleshling writing that letter to you, so he already suspects him. Well, I should go. See you hot stuff." He then floated away, leaving Ito to stand there a moment.

"Hot stuff...he needs a life." After that, she too went back to Matt.

In the classroom, L sat at his desk in an odd manner, examining all the students. He whispered to Gred, barely moving his mouth. "I think it is the kid I was looking at, he was writing a note to no one, so it may be him. I'm only 65% sure though. What do you think?" Gred reached in his pocket.

"I think I'm going to have myself another candy." He unwrapped the candy and sucked on it. L just ignored him and looked around. He noticed Gred looking at Matt's general direction, but not at him.

"What are you looking at Gred?"

"Your mom. What do you care?" Gred continued sucking his candy, looking at the area. L began to fiddle with his hair from boredom. He continued to examine the room, when he noticed a young girl. He thought she was pretty and just looking at her made L a little nervous. He whispered to Gred once again.

"Hey, Gred. Who is that girl over there?" He looks at where L was looking.

"Huh...oh, you like her? She is Marie Styler. She is somewhat pretty. Black hair, blue eyes, nice body. I doubt she would even take interest in you though. If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about her." L just sat there, realizing Gred was probably right. He then thought about his life as L, and how he would always be alone and so very different by being L. He didn't like the thoughts, but he knew they were true.

* * *

That day passed, and at L's home, he paced pack and forth thinking. Gred sat on the bed eating an odd-looking fruit. "You know what, this thing isn't too bad. What did you humans call it?"

"A grapple. It's a mix between an apple and a grape."

"Pretty cool. Now...could you stop pacing, it's driving me nuts!" L stopped and sat in his chair. It was a big, comfortable chair with a maroon colored fabric covering it.

"Sorry. I came up with a list of possible suspects. Only one seems the most likely. I wish I could figure out who it was." Gred snickered.

"I could tell you, but I won't, because I don't have too. The only way you could tell someone was Kira is if they told you they were, you found them killing someone, or you had the eyes of a shinigami. If you had the eyes, anybody with a death note would show up without a life span." L nodded.

"I will think about this."

* * *

That night at around midnight, in Seattle, Washington, a man in a dark suit and fedora walked down the street. The suit had a purple inside and the hat had a purple band around it. He also wore a dark red tie, the color of blood. He was around 15, and at the moment, it was raining heavily. As he walked, he whistled a dark tune. He avoided the streetlights to keep himself in the shadows. He walked for a few moments, until something caught his eye on the road beside him. He looked at it and saw it was a black notebook. The boy slowly approached the middle of the road and picked up the notebook, the words 'Death Note' shining on the front cover. He walked to the closest street light and looked at it under the light. The light from above him revealing his blood soaked face and clothes, as well as his deep red eyes. In his coat pocket, a butcher knife covered in blood sat. He raised his head and laughed manically as his red eyes seemed to glow in the night. He then walked home and cleaned up in the bathroom. After he was cleaned, he went to his living room, and watched a news report about the mysterious heart attacks from around the globe, smirking and giggling evilly.

A few hours later, the boy sat in front of a computer drinking something out of a coffee mug. The room lit only buy a TV, and his computer. The boy's snow white hair shining from the screen light bouncing of it. He was studying the recently preformed murders by Kira. He licked blood off from the rim of his mug, as the computer flashed with images and words that disappeared just as fast as the appeared. Suddenly the images stopped, and he stood. The man dipped his fingers in the cup of blood sitting on the desk table and walked to a huge map of the U.S. He reached out his long bloody fingers and used the blood to circle an area on the map. He circled New York and laughed manically again. "I found you. It wasn't as hard as I thought. Now to buy a ticket."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Game Begins**

The next day at lunchtime, Matt sat eating lunch with his friends at school. He ate his lunch (consisting of a pizza slice, a fruit cup, chocolate milk, and celery), when he felt something wrong. He turned around to see Jeremiah sitting at the table behind him, staring at him. Jeremiah got up and moved to Matt's table. "Hello, I'm Jeremiah." He reached out his hand, but Matt ignored it. Jeremiah pulled it back disappointed. He looked down at Matt's tray and noticed the vast amount of celery. "I notice you enjoy celery. You have quite a bit there. An interesting vegetable celery is. You can eat a ton of it and not get any energy out of it. It has negative carbohydrates so it takes more energy to eat than what it gives." Matt nodded.

"Ok, thanks for the health lesson."

"Don't mention it. There is never a bad time to learn something new." Matt shook his head from Jeremiah failing to understand his use of sarcasm. He looked at Jeremiah's lunch that he packed. The meal consisted of a large cookie, three candy bars, a slice of cake, and a container full of tea beside a bowl of sugar cubes. He poured out some tea, and filled the rest of the cup with sugar.

"I notice you like sugar." Jeremiah looked up at Matt and nods.

"Yes, it helps me think, sugar is good for your brain. It gives me a good boost of energy too." He began eating his food, and it took him about two minutes to finish everything. Matt's friends sat there with looks of shock on their faces.

"Dude, Matt, your friend there is a freak." The kids got up and left.

"That was rude of them." Jeremiah said. He then turned to look at Matt again. He looked to his side for a brief moment, then back at Matt. "Well, good day to you then." He then slid out of his chair (literally), and went to the gym back to class.

After school, Matt was walking home, and as he passed the school, he looked over at the basketball court behind the school. Jeremiah was inside dribbling a ball all by himself. He then bounced it hard and caught it on the tip of his finger and made it spin. Matt cocked an eyebrow at the odd boy. He seemed to know what he was doing. Matt smiled. He went to the entrance to the fence and walked in. "I see you play basketball." Jeremiah nodded.

"I do. You?"

"Yeah. I've beat almost everybody I've played against to date. I'm the school champion."

"Are you on the team?"

"No. I just play for fun." Jeremiah nodded, and then turned his back to him, then from over his head tossed the ball to Matt.

"Play me a game." Matt laughed.

"I'll beat you." Jeremiah turned his head around without moving his body. He wore a wide smile.

"Try me." Matt began dribbling the ball, moving slowly to the side. Jeremiah turned around and just watched him. Matt shot the ball, but Jeremiah jumped up and blocked it as if it was nothing. Matt shrugged as Jeremiah had the ball.

"No problem." Jeremiah just stood there a moment, then swiftly ran right through Matt and shot the ball. Matt frowned. "Ok, now come the big guns." The two began to play with two very different styles. Matt tried all he could to get and shoot the ball successfully, and Jeremiah just moseyed along and didn't seem to care. After a half hour, the score was tied. Matt as sweating profusely, while Jeremiah just slowly dribbled the ball. "Ok, you make this one, you win. I make it, I do." Jeremiah shrugged.

"Whever." Matt ran at Jeremiah and he just slipped under him and shot the ball. It circled around the basket, and then fell through the hoop. "I win." Jeremiah held out his hand to Matt. "Good game." Matt frowned horribly as he panted. His hands were on his knees, sweat poured out of his head, and his eyes remained fixed on Jeremiah, who didn't even have a shine on his forehead from sweat. Matt slowly stood up and just walked away. "Hmm...whatever." Jeremiah then began shooting balls alone as Matt walked home.

Halfway home, Ito laughed. "So, how did it feel to lose to him? I bet it won't be the last time."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just saying." Matt shook his head, and headed home. Once home, his mom looked at him worried.

"Where have you been? You're late."

"Sorry mom. I was playing basketball with someone." Matt's mom crossed her arms.

"Well, you look filthy. Go clean up and get something to eat." Matt shrugged.

"Whatever..."

The next day at lunch, Jeremiah chose to sit across from Matt again, watching him eat. Matt just ate his lunch quietly, trying as hard as possible to ignore Jeremiah. Jeremiah on the other hand paid full attention to Matt, even while he hogged down another very sweet lunch. After he finished, he didn't want to seem too odd, so he slid out of the chair again, and went upstairs. Matt sighed. "I really hate that kid." Ito just laughed from below the desk, munching on her celery.

* * *

Upstairs, L wandered the halls for a moment before going back to class. He sighed. "Gred, how am I going to find out who Kira is without directly confronting them? Why was I chosen to be L in the first place? I was not good enough to replace Near, I don't have the same deduction skills as him." Gred chuckled.

"Well, as I said before, you could always trade for the eyes. You wouldn't be able to see their life span if they were Kira, and all it would cost you is half your remaining years." L thought for a moment.

I am L, and as L it is my duty, no, my calling to do whatever it takes to save mankind, and if that requires me to surrender half my life that is most likely already short because I am L, I must do it. Gred, I will make the trade. Give me the eyes so I can see who Kira is." L closed his eyes, and Gred began to laugh deeply.

"Ok." He reached out his long, grotesque hand and waved it over L's head. "Congratulations, you now have, the eyes. Hyuk hyuk hyuk." L opened his eyes. Everything was clearer, and magnified. His glasses only made it better. He could see the names of all the students before him, and under the names, a row of numbers that moved constantly. L smiled, for now, he could find Kira much easier. L then ran back down stairs and to the lunchroom. He examined all the students, until he saw one without numbers, this person was Matt. He smiled. Matt just sat there eating food, oblivious to the fact that the world's greatest detective was staring right at him.

L reached in his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. There were no teachers in the hall to take it away from him, so he was safe. He dialed a number and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello, Watari, send the men to the school. I think I have found Kira." Jeremiah hung up the cell phone and put it away, and then he walked back to where Matt was sitting. He sat back down in front of Matt, and got right up to his face from the other side of the table. "Hey friend, you know I'm still new here, and I don't know the town very well, so how about after school, you show me around town? What do you say?" Matt sat there, and then shook his head.

"Uh...no, I don't think so." He then got up and left, Jeremiah following him. The entire school day, he followed him, until Matt snapped. "Fine! If I show you the town, will you promise never to follow me again?!" Jeremiah nodded. "Ok, I will see you after school. God you're crazy."

After school, Jeremiah and Matt left together. At the school entrance, Matt called his parents informing them about showing Jeremiah around. They agreed, and they roamed the streets. After a few minutes of walking, a couple of men came out from an alley beside them and grabbed Matt. He struggled to get free, but could not. "Hey, get off me, Jeremiah, help!" Jeremiah smiled.

"Uh...no, I don't think so." The men dragged him to a Toyota Celica and threw him in. Jeremiah got in beside Matt, put something on his face to keep him quiet, and handcuffed him too. Matt had no room to move due to the small size of the car, so he kept still to refrain from hurting himself.

They drove for about an hour, until they got to a large building. It was a hotel. L took the mask and handcuffs off and let him out of the car. "Now, you are going to be quiet, or you will never see the light of day again. Got that?" Matt nodded. "Good." They walked him into the building, and into an elevator. Once they got to the top floor, they got out. "Here we are." The room was all white, full of computers and crime scene stuff. They took him to a room with only a table and a two-way mirror. This was an interrogation room. They locked him in with Jeremiah, and the watched them from the outside. L walked around the room, staring at Matt sternly. "Well, do you know what you'are here for?" Matt shakes his head. "Of course you don't. Why would you? I'm going to show you something, no one in here knows I have this, but I guarantee you'll know what it is." He reached in his pocket, and pulled out a notebook. It was all black with white symbols on the top and bottom, and on the cover, was written in silver letters the words 'Death-Note'. He handed it to Matt. Matt showed no expression when he saw it, but when he looked up, he screamed, for standing on the table in front of him was a large monster. It had a maroon fu, large armor on it's shoulders and chest, and long arms. This was Gred.

"Hyuk hyuk hyuk, this is going to be fun." Jeremiah called the other men inside to touch the notebook for themselves.

The men walked through the door one by one, touched the notebook and got a look of shock as they saw Gred. Matt sat in his chair shocked. L looked at his men. "I didn't tell you I had this because I wanted to question the shinigami alone. I found it a short while ago, now you all know I have it. You can all go now." The men then left again. "Now talk boy!" Matt just sat in his chair, and then he began to laugh maniacally.

"Ha ha ha! Now you have finally found out. I am Kira!" Ito looked shocked.

"Matt, why are you saying this? Do you want to die so quickly?" Matt finished laughing and smiled darkly.

"But, there is one thing you can't do. You can't kill me!" L looked at him oddly.

"Why can't I?"

"Because I am smarter than you are by a long shot. You are stupid! You took me hostage and showed me your death note. You traded for the eyes, that is how you knew I was Kira out of all the kids at school. What are you going to do, try to kill me? Well I have a death note too." Matt pulled out a black notebook with neat letters on the cover that read 'Death Note.' "I have the power to kill you too! So just try to kill me!"

L said in the calmest voice he could ever use. "You use insults like some child. I am not stupid, you are. You showed me your death note, so that proved that you are 100% in fact Kira. Now _that_ was stupid. You don't know who you are talking to do you. I...am L." Matt froze. He had thought this person was either just some cop or a person that just hated Kira. This person was too young to be L in his mind.

"What! You just look like some stupid freshman like all the others in the school." L laughed.

"Well, actually I was a sophomore, I just happened to be put in your class. Now you see, I am far smarter than you could ever dream to be. You have lost." Ito and Gred started laughing.

"Look at them! Humans are fun!" Gred barked. Matt sat in his chair with a look of shock, when in his mind, he was perfectly calm.

_This may be going faster than I thought, but this is going just as planned. _Matt thought to himself. Gred hopped off the table and clung to the ceiling, his head rotated 180 degrees so he can look at Matt. L leaned forward on the table and looked at Matt dead in the eye.

"I never said how I disposed of the last Kira. The night he died, I was in California, while my agents had him surrounded on a street in Japan. I ordered them to shoot him, right there. No trial, no confessions, nothing. I watched the life fade from his evil eyes as he fell into the arms of his fiancé, and I did it without remorse. Do you think me weak? You don't think I have what it takes to kill a man in front of the ones the love, or anyone else for that matter. No, you would be horribly mistaken if you thought that." He reached out for Matt's death note and picked it up. Behind Matt, stood Ito and L grinned. "Hello shinigami." Ito nodded. "I will be back." He left the room with the book. When he leaves, he hands the book to his head agent Aster and let them all touch it. "Hold on to it. I have to talk to Near about this one." Aster grabbed L's shoulder.

"Wait, he said you must have traded for the eyes to be able to see that he was Kira."

"Yeah, so?" Aster noticed L looked a little upset.

"Just saying." He let go and L continued. From behind him, L could hear them talking about him having the eyes.

* * *

As L walked down the hall, he remembered the night he did kill the previous Kira. He had said that he felt no remorse, but he had not been more wrong. In fact, he felt horrible when he killed Kira. The event played in his head like an old video.

He was in fact in California, watching everything from a computer. Kira's fiancé had walked by where he had the agents stationed, and they had photos of her and Kira, so they knew who she was. When L saw her, he told them to shoot, but just as they did Kira jumped in front of her and shoved her away. She did not realize the police were after them, and just as Kira told her they were, L gave the command to leave her alone and kill him instead, for he knew he was Kira, and not her. They shot him six times before he fell, and before he hit the road, she caught him. There she sat on the ground, crying horribly as his dead body lay in her arms. L remembered very well what he did next. He fell to his knees. He was not sure why either. He hated Kira and anybody with him, but for some reason, seeing her cry for her future husband, made him feel horrible. To this day, he did not know why he felt so bad, but ever since, he has questioned his ability to be L, his ability to do what he was chosen to do. After he fell, he ordered the agents to arrest her, and imprison her for life for being an assistant to Kira. She lost all memories of the death note though, and no matter how many times they questioned her, she did not know what they were talking about. Then, finally, what really did him in was when she killed herself in prison, just to be with Kira. L could never explain his feelings for their love, and to this day wonders.

* * *

Once he reaches his office, L gets on his computer and starts using it. He typed in several things, when a white background with an 'N' on the screen. A voice came from the speakers.

"Yes my pupil, what is it." L cleared his throat and talked calmly.

"I have apprehended the new Kira, Near. He admitted it and has shown me his notebook. I showed him mine as well. Now you and I are not the only ones that know my notebook exists. What should I do with him?" The room was quiet for a moment.

"Keep him there for now. You killed the last Kira before I could see him. Before I die, I want to see justice prevail once again. In addition, please L, don't kill this one unless he tries to pull something."

"Sir, you are going to live for a long time, do not talk like your dying."

"I'm not going to argue with you, but I'm coming over. I will be there tomorrow. Be waiting." The screen then went black and the voice stopped.

After L finished his conversation, he went back to the outside of the room. He looked in the window and saw Gred talking to them.

"So...what happened?"

"Nothing sir, the big thing has just been talking to the kid and the shinigami. Apparently, it is named Ito." L nods.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Jokes on You**

Back with the mysterious white haired man, he was at the moment in a taxicab looking for something. He was looking for the present Kira, by following his instincts, or at least that is how it seemed. In reality, someone was helping him...someone secret. He was about to pass a building when a voice in his head alerted him. _"He is in there. Find him now." _He told the taxi driver to stop; he paid him and got out. The building was a large grey hotel with the words 'Regal Plaza' on the sign in Old English Font. The boy grinned, showing his teeth. "Pretty convincing if I do say so myself, but not clever enough." He adjusted his hat and walked up to the sidewall. He reached in his overcoat pocket and pulled out a small cell phone earpiece. He took the gum he was chewing out of his mouth and stuck it to the phone. He then carefully attached it to the wall, and then backed up a little. He reached in his pocket again, pulled out a small remote, and clicked the red button on it. "And here...we...GO!" A large explosion came from the phone and blew a hole in the side of the building. As bricks fell, the agents on the top floor rushed down the stairs and elevator and ran out the door. He simply walked through the hole and was confronted by a group of agents.

"Don't move or we'll fire!" The man just moved forward, still grinning and his eyes glowing bright. "Fire!" Bullets shot from the guns, but for some reason, before they hit him, a dark wave that only he could see emitted off him and made the bullets curve around him and miss. He grinned wider and pulled out two knives from his pockets.

"Now I get to have my fun." His eyes glowed even brighter. The voice in his head speaks to him again.

"_Don't hurt him too much."_

"Don't worry, I will only kill them." He then rushed towards them, the agents still kept firing, but the wave still bounced them away. Then with swift motions, he slit all of their throats and watched them fall to the ground, blood spraying everywhere. He then licked the knives clean. He then continued onward and into the elevator.

"_He is in the top floor." _The man smiled. In the elevator, he straightened his tie and hat and then licked his lips impulsively. Once at the top, the door opened and Aster was standing there with L behind him. Aster pulls out a gun and pushes L aside.

"Sir, you go back and wait. We can't afford to lose you." L looked at him sadly, and then nodded. He worked his way to another room. The mysterious man smiled and laughed.

"Oh, how amusing." He pulled out one of his knives and got in a stance.

"Sorry kid, you brought a knife to a gunfight." The man laughed darkly.

"Try me." Aster shot at him, but he dodged it without the dark pulse, and then worked his way behind Aster. Once bind him, he grabbed Aster in a way so the knife was at his throat, and his arms forced behind him. "Now, are you going to die quick or just bleed to death?" Aster growled.

"Get off me you son of a..." The man slit his throat before he could finish.

"Well, it seems you died quick while bleeding to death all at once. And there is no need for such language. Tisk tisk tisk, people now days." He straitened his tie again. "So rude." As blood continued to spill from the man, he licked the blade and concealed it once more. The man then searched Aster for anything he could use. While searching him, he found the death note. "Hmm...This could be interesting." He shoved it in his pocket and grabbed Asters gun, and then blew the door lock out on the interrogation room, then once inside, he saw the boy.

Not many knew this, but the young man actually had a gift, he possessed the shinigami eyes. Not from the death note though, but when he was young, he achieve them from a dark spirit, but more on the spirit later.

As he stood there, the man noticed the boy had no life span under his name. "Humph, you'are not quite what I expected, but either way you'are coming with me." He walked over to Matt and grabbed his arm. After he grabbed his arm, he reached in his pocket and pulled out the death note. "Here, you will need this." He then led him back to the elevator and out the hole in the wall. Once outside, he walked about a block until he reached an old storage unit. He pulled out a set of keys and unlocked it, and then pulled the door up. Inside was an old, black Trans Am Firebird with a golden eagle painted on the hood. The man led Matt in the unit and beside the car. "Get in." Matt got in and the man got in the driver's seat. He turned it on just as a group of agents came into view in front of the unit.

"They must have followed us." The man gave him a stupid look.

"Uh, ya think?" He then floored it and the agents jumped out of the way as the car shot by. They drove by the hotel one last time just as L came out the door. L wore a horribly upset face.

"Dang it!" He said. "How the heck did that joker do that and not get a single scratch. We need to catch him. Near is coming, and he is going to be royally disappointed to see Kira not here." L pulled out a cell phone. "Hello, Watari. Yes, he got away, bring the car around." He hung up. "Boys, get in your cars, were going after him." After they ran to their cars, a pitch black Shelby Mustang with red stripes down the middle drove up. Driving it was Watari. L got in the passenger seat and the car took off.

In the Firebird, Matt was looking frantically out the windows. "Dude, what the hell was that?!" The man said nothing. "Hey buddy, I'm talking to you. Say something!" The man still said nothing. "Hey, at least tell me your name and why you captured me." The man with deep red, glowing eyes looked over at Matt.

"Duck." Matt went blank.

"What?"

"Duck."

"I don't under..." Matt heard something fly by his head and a window shatter. "What the?"

One of L's agents held a shotgun riding in a Toyota Celica right behind the man and Matt. "Don't you have a gun?" The man looked at Matt.

"Don't need one, just give me your death note."

"What, I'm not doing that."

"Do it or die." Matt thought for a moment, then decided to give it to him. The man took a pen out of his pocket and wrote the name 'Jonathan Munich' in the book. Matt looked behind him and saw the car swerve and crash.

"How did you know his name?" The man laughed, and then rolled his head towards Matt, revealing his blood red eyes to him, shining brighter than ever.

"What, ever seen a shinigami before? You can call me Near, Near Birthday, and I am your worst nightmare." He then laughed manically in a way that was inhuman, but like that of a shinigami.

* * *

In the Mustang, L told Watari to drive next to the driver of the car. He looked in and saw the person. He was wearing a black suit with purple features and a fedora. His hair was as white as snow and his eyes red like blood with an ominous glow. He looked above his head and saw the man's name, and could not tell who the man was. From above, Gred clung to the top of the Mustang, and L looked out over the window at him.

"What are you doing? Get off the car!" Gred just laughed.

"Uh, no I don't think I will. Hyuk hyuk hyuk, this is fun. I love car chases. That kid there looks stupid, seriously. Who wears a sit like that other than a pimp or some kind of gangster?" He laughed manically and watched the firebird shoot ahead. "Come on L, use the book! You know you want to. You haven't written one name down, now's your chance." L sneered at him.

"Never, I will catch him myself. Drive faster Watari! Where is my pistol at? Here it is." He aimed at the car's tire and shot. He blew out the back left tire. The Firebird swerved as the tire popped.

* * *

In the Firebird, Near Birthday remained perfectly calm. As he tried to get control, he pushed a button on the dashboard and as he did, the popped tire fell apart and a new tire inflated. Matt felt a chill down his spine, because right behind him he could have sworn he heard a dark voice say: "Damn that L, thinks he can take us out. Fat chance." Near reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small sphere about the size of a marble. He rolled down the window and threw it out. Once it hit the ground, the Mustang chasing them ran over it and the sphere exploded. As the car flipped from the explosion and rolled off the road all the other cars turned around to help the possibly injured L. The Firebird zoomed off to make some distance and eventually stopped in an unknown location beside an old looking building with boarded windows after they were certain that nobody was following them. Near and Matt got out. Once out of the car, Near pulled a device out of his pocket and pushed a button on it. Once it was pushed, the car's parts began to shift and after about 30 seconds were compacted into a metal briefcase. Near picked it up once it was finished.

"How did you do that?" Near smiled.

"I'm a master with three things, bombs, machines, and killing. Don't forget that. Now enough talking about how, but what. And come on, put a smile on that face, quit looking so worried." Near Birthday finished talking and headed inside the building they were beside.

* * *

Over at the crash site, the agents got out of their cars and helped L. The doors of the Shelby opened up, and L along with Watari crawled out. L stood up, his face had long gash on the left side and a broken lip. He limped over to the sidewalk and sat down. "Oh, they don't know who they are messing with. They will pay." He sat there a moment, and then noticed Gred was nowhere to be found. "Hey, where is Gred?" They looked around and could not find him. Realizing he would return eventually, L tried to get up and walk, but fell over. The others then helped him over to the Toyota with Watari and drove them back to base.

* * *

Over with Matt, Gred stood at the door behind them. He stuck his long, serpent-like tongue out in a goofy way looking at them. "Look what I have found, the murder friends. Plan to kill anybody." Matt turned and looked at Gred.

"Why are you here?"

"No reason." He turned and looked at Near Birthday. "Hey Near, wait, that's not your name is it? Hyuk hyuk hyuk." Near did not seem to notice Gred. "Your friend there is pretty weird Near." Matt looked at Gred in anger.

"He is not my friend, and why the heck are you talking to him, he can't see you...can he?" Gred laughed his deep laugh.

"I wasn't talking about you." He turned and looked at an area with nobody there. He then laughed manically. "It looks as if somebody is possessed." Near opened his dark red eyes wide and turned around. "Hek hek hek, so it appears the Shinigami can see us." Matt looked confused.

"What, you can see him? You didn't touch his Death Note. And do you mean 'us' as you and me and you?"

"No, I mean Beyond Birthday and me."

"Who is Beyond Birthday?" Said Matt. Gred giggled.

"Is that even a name?" Near scowled at Gred.

"Shut up fool!" Gred just laughed again.

"Somebody didn't drink enough blood this morning." Near growled.

"Beyond Birthday used to be a human in the human world who was the top dog in the Wammy House."

"What is the Wammy House?"

"The Wammy House is an orphanage in Britain made by two men named Quillesh Wammy and Roger Ruvie. This orphanage was made so that very intelligent children around the world could be the successor of L. Not the L after you now, no, the original L. This man was way better and smarter than the new one. The first two students in this orphanage were a boy named A, and a boy named B. Well, it wasn't their real names, but that was their code name. Everybody in the house got a code name. It was either the Letter that their name started with or a nickname made from their first and last name put together. Well, A was top of the class of the two students and smarter than L, but went into depression and later killed himself. B was a man named Beyond Birthday. He was a mastermind like L, but had a special gift just like mine, the gift of the shinigami eyes. You should know what those are right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. When he was born, he knew the day his parents would die, his friends, and everyone else's death dates that he met. This was a gift, but also a curse. Well, he eventually went crazy just like A did, but instead of killing himself, he killed others on the exact day they were supposed to die. Then later L beat him and he was sent to jail and died of a heart attack soon after. Most likely by the first Kira that the first L fought. That is who Beyond Birthday is."


	6. Chapter 6

**Failure**

In the hotel, L sat at his desk, a bandage over the left side of his face covering his eye and his lip scabbed over. He turned on his computer and tried to contact Near, but with no luck. Near was already on the plane to New York. L cursed to himself. "Where the heck is Gred? Why is he not following me?" He stood up and limped to his table. He grabbed a chocolate bar and ate it in a few bites. Ryan Douglas, the new leader of the task force since Aster Maxwell was killed, walked into the room.

"The others have been shipped to the morgue, the survivors are in the main room looking for answers, and Watari is in his room sleeping. I'm sorry half of your men have died due to one man; I will make sure he pays." L sat on a big armchair with his legs on the seat, and his chin on his knees. He avoided Ryan's stare.

"Revenge is not the answer, for if it was, that kid would be dead by now from the death note, and yes, I did trade for the eyes. I knew you were wondering, so there it is. Due to the trade...I don't know how much time I have now." He began to bite his thumbnail. Ryan nodded and sat in the chair opposite of L. L had a new black shirt on (exactly like his other) because the old one was ruined. He was wearing new, identical pants as well. However, he was not wearing shoes or socks, because he never did unless he was outside, then he wore a pair of old gray sneakers without socks. Ryan sighed and picked the Death Note off the table in front of him. L ignored him. Ryan then opened it and looked at all the names. There were ten or so pages of names written throughout history, and then the previous Kira wrote two pages of names that Ryan knew. He then put the book down.

"Well, I need to check on the men now. Don't get too upset." Ryan then bowed once, then left the room, leaving L to ponder some more.

* * *

Miles away, Near Birthday waited inside the building for Matt to enter. As Matt entered, Near lead him to a large room filled with computers, TV screens, videos, DVDs, game systems, and high tech gear torn apart on the tables. Also in the large room was an entire wall dedicated to Near's collection of knives. Near took the knife out of his pocket he used to slit the agents' throats, licked the blood off it, carves a notch on his right arm, and places it on an empty spot of the wall. As Near cut his arm, Matt noticed that Near's entire arm was covered in the small cuts, all turned into scars. Behind Matt, Beyond Birthday looked at Matt, then over to Near. "Do what you see fit. It makes no difference to me." Matt jumped as the voice emitted from behind him. He turned around to see a figure that floated a couple inches off the ground.

"Are…are you Beyond Birthday." The thing nodded. The thing appeared to be a ghost, because it floated and at certain angles, one could see through it. It looked like a human in every other way. He had pitch-black hair and blood red eyes just like Near Birthday's. He also wore a black, long sleeved shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Near turned to look at Matt.

"Nor does it to me Beyond. I just have one rule for you Kira, as well as you two shinigami."

"What rule is that?" Questioned Gred.

"Don't touch my knives." Gred laughed. Gred then lifted up his hand and pointed it at the knife wall. Then, like magic, his arm extended forward slamming into the large wall of knives, causing them all to fall to the ground from the force of the impact. Gred cackled loudly.

"Oops, I touched your knives. My bad." Ito giggled as well as Gred. Matt looked at Near thinking he might go nuts on Gred and somehow us his shinigami powers to hurt him. Near just looked at Gred, and then shrugged.

"I warned you." Near then pointed his finger at Gred like a gun.

"What are you going to do with that?" Said Gred thinking this a big joke. Beyond smiled, and then laughed.

"With pleasure Near." Beyond then flew at Gred with great speed, and once he slammed into Gred's back, he disappeared. Gred grabbed his head and screamed, and then got quiet. His hands slid back down to his sides, and then looked at Near grinning. Gred's eyes had gone from being a golden yellow to a blood red. Gred opened his mouth to talk, but instead of his voice, Beyond's voice came out.

"Ah, ...much power this body has." He lifts his hand up and looks at it. He flexes the fingers and examines his hand. "Yes...much power indeed." Near did not look as amused as Gred.

"Now, Beyond, you know what to do now that you have this form. Inform me when you have finished the job." Gred then nodded.

"You got it." Then, in a burst of light, Gred exploded into a ball of smoke and purple flames. Near frowned and turned to his knife wall.

"That little shit is going to get what's coming to him." He then began to clean up his knives.

* * *

Back in L's office, L continued sitting on his comfortable chair. He was drinking his tea filled to the rim with sugar cubes. He sipped it quietly, and turned on his computer that he had moved in front of him. He tried again to contact Near, but no luck. He frowned, and threw his laptop against his wall. "Screw this computer crap! Why can't _I_ be normal? Why do _I_ have to save the world? I hate my job! I hate my life!" He jumped off the chair and threw his table against the wall. The sugary snacks flying everywhere, but the Death Note managed t land at his feet. He crouched down and looked at it, then he remembered Gred's voice saying: "Come on, use the notebook. You know you want to. You haven't written one name, now's your chance." L looked at it, and opened it up. He looked curiously at the blank page. "All I have to do, is write a nameY." L shook his head. "NO! I will not do it. I cannot. It would defy all that I have worked for." He stood up. "No, I am stronger than this...this book. I will not fail you Near, I won't." He then began to clean up the mess he made, and once he was finished, he sat back in his comfortable chair and continued to sip his tea.

Several minutes pass, and then all of a sudden a big ball of smoke and purple flames appear. After the smoke faded, Gred stood in its place. "Gred, where were you?" Gred bared his teeth, then he cleared his throat, and using Beyond's voice tried to imitate Gred's.

"I was, uh…" He reached in his pocked to see if he could find something. "I was getting more candy. That's where I was." L looked at him odd, and then shrugged. "Now what are you doing?"

"Me, I'm relaxing. I failed today, and now I am deciding what to do next. This notebook though, it draws me towards it. I want to use it to kill those two, but I must not. What should I do? You don't have to answer." L noticed Gred trying to hold in a laugh. "If you want anything, ask Ryan. He is in the other room with the agents looking up everything about...actually you probably do not care what they're doing. Now leave me, I want to meditate." Gred walked through the door.

* * *

In the old building, Near Birthday looked at Matt with a crooked grin and laughed a bit. He walked over to the wall of knives and took one down. He then walked over to Matt and handed the knife to him. It was a beautiful knife with great quality and design. It had a dark blue handle with a purple rubber gripping on it. The blade was a long Bowie blade. The handle had a design etched onto the metal of a demons mouth at the base of the blade with a tongue going up the blades sides as if trying to catch the blood of its victims. Matt took the knife from Near Birthday's hands and looked at him a bit confused. "What is this for? Why would I need this?" Near frowned.

"Just take it. It may come in handy somewhere you least expect it to. Now Matt, our next goal is to defeat L, but how we go about this is vital. We need a strategy, but we can think later. For now we should wait for Beyond to return with his gathered information." Matt started to examine the knife's engravings and tried to figure out why he would need a knife if he had possession of a Death Note. "Hmm...I guess if I have it, I should at least train with it. Do you have any training dummies or anything?"

"No, that's what human bodies are for." Matt thought to himself how gross it would be to kill a human with a knife. The thought of all the blood squirting everywhere made him feel sick.

"Eww. Well, do you at least have somewhere a normal person could train?"

"There are no normal people here."

"Dude, stop being an idiot and be serious." Near scratched his chin.

"Well, you could always practice on my old manikins in the other room."

"Why do you have a manikin? Never mind, I probably don't want to know. You're already weird enough." Matt walked over to the other room and saw a row of manikins stood up. Matt pulled out the knife and stated hacking and slashing away at them. Near walked in the room and watched him, thinking to himself how unskilled Matt was and started laughing to himself. After a while of Matt cutting the manikins and Near studying about things no one cared about in his mind, Matt finally walked over to Near. "Hey, do you know what to do yet?"

"No, I already told you we won't have a plan until Beyond returns."

"Oh, are we going to do anything else here?"

"Probably not."

"Oh, well could we at leastY"

"Matt, shut the hell up, ok? I'm trying to think." Matt just got agitated and walked away. Once out of the room, he thought to himself. _Damn it, I have to hurry him up to continue my plan._

In the deep and horrid darkness that was Gred's mind, his thoughts still raced and tried to contact the one called Beyond. He detected his presence and contacted it. "You, foolish human, get out of my head!"

"I would rather not. How about you sit back and watch instead."

"How about when you finally leave, I rip your bloody head off. How is that?"

"Sounds like fun, let's try it." The two fought in their minds for a while, until Gred got bored.

"You know what, fine, use my body. When I get control again thought, you will be hurt." Beyond Birthday then went back to controlling Gred's body.

* * *

An entire day passed of no action. Matt and Near just waited around for Beyond, as L and his agents complained for finding nothing about the kid calling himself Near Birthday.

L sat in his chair, when Ryan ran into the room.

"Uh, sir." He was talking somewhat frantic. "I apologize for the interruption, but Near has arrived." L jumped up out of his chair.

"Ok, hold on." He unwrapped the bandages on his face, and underneath it was a long, nasty looking scar. "Ok, bring him in." Watari walked in the room, and walking behind him was a very old looking man. He was wearing a white suit with a black tie; he had pure white hair, and walked on a cane.

"Good evening my pupil. Oh my, your face." Near looked at the scar and remembered a person he once knew with a scar on the same side much like L's. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry for staring. That scar reminded me of a man I once knew. The others told me of your mishap. But have hope, Kira will be punished, as well as the other boy." L nodded.

"Ryan, Watari, you can go." They left and closed the door behind them. "I am sorry Near, but I have made the deal for the eyes to help our case. Please forgive me." Near nodded.

"You are forgiven. However, know this, there is no good in the Death Note, it has drawn many into its evil, and none have returned. Do not use it again." L nodded sadly. "Now, let me see it." L handed him the book, and Near looked at Gred as he saw him appear, standing behind L. "I see, a shinigami. He is quite large isn't he?" Beyond smiled using Gred's body.

"I am Gred. Ho ho…" He thought to himself: _No, too jolly._ "Hyuk hyuk hyuk." They both stared at him oddly. Near then returned his attention to L.

"Now, explain to me everything." As L explained the events leading up until that moment, Beyond stared at Near oddly through Gred's eyes. Beyond looked above Near's head and, using his shinigami eyes saw his real name. He smiled wide, for he knew who this man was.

_It's him! _He thought to himself. _I know him. It's Near, or as I remember from the Wammy House, Nate River. He was a threat to me. He was going to surpass me. I should have disposed of that problem immediately, but I ran away before I did, and now he is still alive. It's time to make up for lost time. _Beyondlaughed to himself, and shot out of Gred's head. Gred gasped as the spirit left him. L and Near paid no attention to it. Gred looked at the two, and began laughing deeply.

"Sorry guys,I'm going to roam for a while." Gred's wings shot out of his back, and he shot out the window. Near and L just shrugged, and continued talking.

* * *

At Near Birthday's base, Near and Matt sat on old chairs relaxing for a moment, when Beyond Birthday shot into the room and looked at them both laughing loudly. He thought about how fun the situation would be to explain, even when in reality it wasn't very funny at all. "Near, guess what, you foster grandpa is in town." Matt looked at Near confused.

"What?" Beyond shot into Matt's head and started showing him images of Nate River as a child, and as the old man.

"This man," He said to Matt in his mind. "Adopted Near Birthday's mother many years ago. However, when Near Birthday grew older, he killed both of his parents and was sent to a high security prison, which he soon escaped from. The man you are seeing visions of right now was one of the students at the Wammy House, and later became the original L's successor. His name is Nate River, but as he was called in the House, Near. That is why we call Near Birthday that, a mix between his nickname, and my real name." Beyond then left Matt's mind "Be cautious of him boy...he is very smart, and is willing to do all that is possible to hunt you and Near Birthday down. Sad...Near Birthday's own foster grandpa is after him...oh well. He he he." Around the time he finished, Gred burst down out of the roof, grabbed Near's neck, and extended his arm super fast and pinned him to the wall. Gred then folded his large wings up. With his other hand, Gred pulled his death note out of his pocket it and held it. Then, one of the tubes connecting his hand to his arm popped out of the wrist and reached in Gred's pocket pulling out a pen. Gred opened the book and the tube held the pen up to the blank page. "Nobody invades my body, especially a human." Beyond laughed.

"Technically I'm not human." Gred roared and turned his head to face Beyond.

"Silence you devil!" He then jerked his head back to Near. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't end you right now, and maybe I'll let you live...but I doubt it." Ito laughed quietly.

_How very interesting. _She thought to herself. _That all this was started by me dropping one little notebook on the ground. In a strange way, I'm responsible for all of this. I suppose it'll be me having to clean it up as well. Oh well. _Her dark lips curved into a grin, showing only the fangs that grew past her top lip, softly holding the bottom lip like a snake. She giggled quietly again, trying to hold back to larger one in her belly. _Still, I can't take sides. I might end up killing myself if I do that. So, for now I'll content myself with watching...and tormenting Gred while I'm at it. Hm...Hot stuff indeed! _She then munched down on some celery as though she were eating popcorn at the movies, watching a horror story unfold.

Gred just continued to look deep into Near's horrid red eyes. "Tell me now human, or so help me you will die!" Near just laughed.

"Fine, kill me! See if I care. Your enjoyment would just fall short, leaving you in a state of boredom, misery, and despair." Near just smiled, and Gred sneered, waiting for the next move...

* * *

At L's office, L sat in his chair, looking in a little hand mirror at his scarred face. He sighed. "My face, I'll never look the same." Near put on his hat as he prepared to leave. He walked over to L, limping on his cane. He put a hand on L's shoulder.

"It will be ok L, and I guarantee you, Kira will be captured. You did it before, and you can do it again. Well, I'll be staying at another hotel for a while." L looked at him through the reflection.

"Why not stay here, I own this hotel. You can stay here."

"Yes, but if someone were to attack as before, we should be separated so if one of us dies, the other has a chance." L nodded, for he was right. "I know you can do this, I chose you as my foster son for a reason. Have hope, my son." He then turned around, nodded to Watari, and walked out the door.

* * *

Back with Near, Gred looked at Near with a sneer on his face, and then slowly smiled evilly. He chuckled as he slowly released him. He put his pen and notebook back, and the little tube returned to his wrist. "You have guts standing up to me like that. You don't fear me, when I am the very essence of the word fear." He looked at Matt, then Ito, who was nibbling her celery. He winked at her, and she just rolled her eyes. He then looked back at Near. "Fine, I will let you live, but never posses me again." His rust colored main of fur puffed up, and his wings shot out once more. "I'll be seeing you around, freaks." He then laughed loudly as he shot out of the roof once more. Beyond then looked over at Matt.

"Ok Matt, now that the imbecile is gone, lets train."

"What?" Said Matt.

"You'll see..." Beyond then jumped into Matt's body and talked to him in his mind. "I am going to help you use a knife by using your body to train. Let's get started."


	7. Chapter 7

**Idiots**

Meanwhile, across the U.S., in the tiny city of Lebanon, Oregon, a young girl sat hunched over a gray computer screen. She was around fourteen years old, with straight blonde hair tied back in a messy knot. Her wide eyes were a deep blue, and her complexion pale. A pair of black-rimmed glasses sat high on her nose as she typed cross-legged on a computer char. She was dressed purely for comfort, not for fashion. Her outfit consisted of a blue sweatshirt, a pair of baggy black pants, and no makeup whatsoever.

For a long time, she typed at a rapid pace, watching the letters and numbers appear on the screen, which was blank except for the two open windows filled with type. The wallpaper of her computer screen was gray and dull so that her concentration remained on her work. The room was silent except for the sound of her fingers moving across the keyboard. Everyone else in the house had gone to bed long ago; after all, it was after one in the morning. Suddenly, all was silent. For a moment, the girl just stared at the screen, and then she smiled triumphantly.

"So, that's what you're up to...well, Kira. You can't hide from me...you can't hide from Justice! I've found you." She smirked. "I think it's time for 'A' to make her appearance." Stretching her aching arms, she saved her work and shut down the computer before crawling into bed. Though very tired, for a long while afterwards, she remained staring ponderously up at the ceiling. "After all, how could Kira expect to hide himself from Amy Amane..."

.................

Amy Amane was born some time after the original Kira made his appearance. During the time of this first Kira, a young woman that loved this Kira so much existed, named Misa Amane, the famous TV idol and pop singer. At a young age, Misa's parents were murdered and she was given up to an orphanage, along with her younger brother Koji. There they stayed until they were old enough to leave on their own. As Misa made her life all about fame and fortune, as well as becoming the second Kira, Koji moved to America and became the boyfriend of Misa's long time friend, Lisa. After the death of Kira, and Misa's suicide to be with her beloved, the couple got married. Later on in life, many years after their marriage, a miracle happened; Lisa became pregnant, with Amy's Mother.

When Amy's mother finally became an adult, Lisa died of cancer and left her daughter with a box of documents. Lisa told her that these documents had to do with a murderer from many years ago. Amy's mother never opened this box in fear that inside it may be something bad.

Many years passed after Lisa's death, and eventually Amy's mother fell in love with a man and married him. Along with marriage, together they had a baby. This baby was Amy. Amy lived happily with her happy parents until she was two, constantly covered with love and affection, and then the unthinkable happened. Her parents were murdered by a man, leaving Amy alone, that is, until Near found her. Near brought her to the Wammy House for the new Watari to raise, and hence forth, Amy had lived in the mansion. There was a rule at the Wammy House though; any successor of L could not be adopted. Amy was in a select group of orphans chosen to be the ones supposed to replace Near when he would die. However, instead of her being chosen like she was told she would, a young boy was chosen that wasn't even in the list of children to replace Near. This boy later became the new L. Amy was actually somewhat glad she wasn't picked, for now she had a chance to be adopted, and live a normal life with a new family.

Many years down the road, when she was finally in her double digits, a family came to the orphanage, and adopted her with Near's permission. From then on out, she lived with this family in happiness, but, Amy became more reclusive when she received a package from her foster mother. This package was given to her foster mother by Near. This package was meant to be given to Amy when she got older by her real mother, but seeing how that could never happen, it was given to her by Near, who had no idea what was in it. Once Amy opened it in secret, she was amazed. Inside were a series of tapes and notes about something called the death note and a being called a shinigami with the name Rem. These tapes held messages talking about how the second Kira, which according to the notes was Misa, wanted to see the real Kira, which according to the notes was a boy named Light. In the notes, it spoke of how Misa lied to the police and Kira about Lisa knowing about the tapes and her being involved with Kira.

Amy read these notes thoroughly and took all the information out of them. They spoke of Kira and L, and the race known as the shinigami and their secret weakness. After Amy was done, she realized that the woman in these notes, this Lisa, was her grandmother. She must have given this box to her daughter but it was never opened. After coming to this conclusion, she forgave her grandmother for the crimes she had committed in life, and put the secret notes and tapes away in a safe spot in her room where her new parents could not find them. That is, until odd heart attacks in criminals came back, and the news report by L was made. Since then, she had been hunting down Kira in secret, and had made it her job to help L catch him...

* * *

L sat in his office looking at his laptop. "Watari." He said into a small microphone on his computer. A few moments later, Watari walked into the room and looked at L over his small spectacles.

"Yes sir?"

"I want you to order all the police in New York, no, America, no, the world to search for Kira. I want him found. In addition, tell them if they find him, arrest him if possible, but if not, kill him. Get on it."

"Right away sir." Watari turned around to walk out the door.

"Wait." Watari turned back around.

"Yes sir?" L looked up at Watari.

"Tell Near to alert Matt's parents as well. I want them to know where their son _really_ is. I have noticed that ever since we captured him, they have put up wanted signs all over the news, internet, and as posters."

"Why Near? I could do it."

"No. It is more likely I will die before he does if this gets out of hand, and if I die Watari...I want them to speak to the person they will most likely meet." Watari nodded.

"Yes sir. I will alert Near and the world governments to move their forces out. Anything else sir?" L looked at his computer again.

"No...I'm good." Watari nodded.

"Very well sir. If you need me, I'll be in the living room." L nodded. Watari then turned around and walked away. As Watari closed the door behind him, Gred flew through the window and landed on the floor. He looked over at L as he folded up his wings. L continued to look only at his laptop. "Hello Gred." Gred laughed.

"Hi." He walked over to L and looked at the computer over his shoulder. L was looking at a list of kids with information about them beside them. Gred chuckled. "What's this?" L made the screen scroll down and looked at another list of names and pictures.

"It's a list of the kids at the Wammy House. I'm looking for a replacement."

"Why? You still look like your awake and kicking." L shrugged.

"I...I think I'm going to die. The signs are obvious, and I'm nowhere near finding Kira, or that other guy." Gred hopped on the table in front of L behind the laptop.

"You need to get out more. When's the last time you've seen the sun?" L looked out the window at the setting sun, and then looked at Gred. "Don't be a smart ass. Well, I'm not going to make you do anything. Just sit in here and rot for all I care." Gred then just hunched over and began to stare directly at L, not making a sound. L just continued his search.

Later that night, L sat on his chair with Gred balanced on the table in front of him. Gred hadn't said anything or moved in about an hour. L looked at him closer. Gred's eyes were wide open, for he had no eyelids. L looked at Gred's open mouth and saw three rows of razor-like teeth. L stood up to inspect him. L could tell Gred was sleeping, for he made no movement at all. L circled the odd creature, and noticed six holes on his back. Three on each side of his spine. He had no idea what they were for, so L wanted to ask. L poked Gred. "Hey, are you awake?" No movement. He went in front of him instead, and poked him again. "Hello, are you there?" Gred's arm instantly retracted into his arm socket, showing only his hand right underneath his massive shoulder. L was confused, and then the hand pivoted to point at L. L looked at it oddly. "What the?" The hand then shot out and grabbed L's neck, then it shot against the wall, pinning L there. He couldn't move. "Gred! Let go!" L noticed Gred was still fast asleep. "Gred!" He yelled out, nothing happened. He sighed, realizing he was stuck there. And there he stayed until morning.

The next morning, Gred woke up and saw L glaring at him. Gred chuckled and released him. "Oh, hello L. You poked me last night didn't you?" L nodded. "You see, you never touch me when I sleep. This has happened before, I won't let go either until I wake up, and I only wake up when I feel like it. So, just don't touch me when I'm asleep and his won't happen again, okay?" Gred smiled and cocked his head. L sneered at him, and then painfully walked over to his bed. His whole body was stiff and achy. He moaned as he painfully laid down on it.

"Whatever." L then rested for a little while, curled in a little ball. After about an hour, L looked over at Gred, who was looking at a bookshelf. He pulled off a book and began reading it. "Hey Gred." Gred just turned a page of the book.

"What?"

"What are those holes on your back for?" Gred chuckled, then closed the book and put it back. He then turned around and walked over to L.

"They shoot out steam for dramatic effects."

"Like a smoke machine?"

"Precisely. See." Then, from behind Gred, a plume of steam shot out of his back, filling the room. "Now, no more questions. I need some candy." He reached in his pocket, and felt only his notebook. "Oh no...Oh God no, this is horrible!"

"What? Your acting odd."

"I'm out of candy!" Then shot out his wings and shot out of the room furiously. L rubbed his eyes and moaned.

"What did I do to deserve this idiot?"

* * *

Back with Near Birthday, Matt stood in the room with near alone. All that night, Beyond Birthday had been possessing him and making him train with the knife. After many hours of hard training, Beyond decided to leave Matt's body. Matt looked at Near Birthday, sweating profusely. "I'm so tired, why did that ghost have to train me so hard?" Near just looked at his wall of knives. Beyond giggled in his non-human style laugh. He jumped into Near so they could talk to each other so none could hear.

"This boy," Said Beyond. "some real potential he has. Make him use the notebook. I want to see L loose for once in his life." Near whispered back to him.

"I know, that is the reason I haven't used my notebook to kill L already. I could kill him know if I pleased."

"Oh, but don't, the fun is just beginning. L will lose more than his mind in this game of fate." Beyond then jumped out of Near. He pulled the hair out of his face, revealing the bright, blood red eyes in his socket. He then licked his lips in an impulsive sort of way. Near cleared his throat and turned to look at Matt.

"Now Matt, I want you to use the notebook now. There is a computer over there, use it to look up criminals. Kill as many as you want, just make it so they all die at different times. However, make it so L knows it is you killing them." Matt nodded, slightly shivering from both his weakness from training and the fact that he was talking to a psychopath. He walked over to the laptop on the desk, and began looking up criminals. Ito looked over his shoulder and frowned.

"Taking orders eh? I didn't think a god of your stature would do such a thing." Matt frowned and looked at Ito.

"Shut up. I am no pet. I take no orders."

"Then what was that. He tells you to kill people, and you just do it. You're no better than a dog on a leash." Matt shook his head and continued to look for criminals. Ito sighed. "This may be fun and all, but that Beyond Birthday isn't normal. It's very rare for someone to come back from the grave. That...what did he call himself again?"

"Near, he called himself Near." Ito snapped her fingers dramatically.

"That's it, and that Near kid is a freak. How did he get the eyes without making the deal? I don't know, but continue killing for now. I'm going to keep an eye on him." Beyond snuck up behind her and poked her spine. The surprise made her jump.

"More like I will keep an eye on you two. It would be very funny if a shinigami were to fall by my hands." Beyond just looked at his right hand, examining it thoroughly. He then jerked his gaze back at Ito, grinning widely showing off his sharpened teeth. "Well, keep it real. He he he...no, too normal." He then floated away, trying out different laughing styles. Matt watched him as he floated into the other room, laughing oddly the whole way.

"Well, I guess I'll go do what Near said so he won't torture and/or kill me." Matt then looked at the computer again, still shivering. Matt then went onto a search engine on the internet and looked up some recent criminals. He looked for a few minutes and wrote down the names of criminals that were still at large or let go. He wrote it so two people would die each day exactly two hours apart starting tomorrow. "Well, I think 30 names are enough for now. L will have to notice that, he's not _that_ stupid." Matt laughed a little as he talked to Ito, even though she didn't really care. From behind them, Beyond floats up and looks over Matt's notebook, then laughs.

"You underestimate L. You think him dumb, when he is nothing less than a prodigy. The L I knew...is nothing compared to this new one. I would watch your back if I were you." He then floated away again chuckling. Matt then put the notebook in his pocket and relaxed in the chair.

"I'm surrounded by idiots." He said, and then he smiled. Ito smiled as well, for she was plotting something...but what it was, even she was unsure of...


	8. Chapter 8

**From Darkness Comes the Rain**

Back with L, he was standing in his bathroom looking at himself in the mirror. He grabbed a comb and began combing his hair. Gred walked up behind him. "So L, are you going to write a name down soon?" L sighed.

"No Gred, I'm never going to." Gred chuckled.

"Are you afraid you'll end up like Kira?"

"No, I just don't want to use it. Got that! I've told you so many times. Let it go!" L finished combing his hair and slammed it down. His hair was now combed down in the front over his scar. After looking at his results, he turned to Gred. "I will find Kira...and I will kill him!" He then stormed out of the room. After he was gone, Gred laughed.

"Oh...so unwise. Yelling at a shinigami." He then pulled out his death note. "I promise you this L, you will find Kira...but killing him...I don't think so. Hyuk hyuk hyuk...have fun L." He then opened it up, laughing manically...

The next day, L had fun. His day started out with an excellent breakfast (consisting of a cup of sugar with some coffee in it, a bowl of chocolate cereal, and a donut), then he took a drive with Watari to the mall in the city to find some new clothes (even though they were exactly like the ones he was wearing), and then finally came back home and ate some sweets while watching the news. The news was talking about a series of criminals dying. L watched intently while nibbling on a giant swirl lollipop. Gred stood next to his chair. Gred hadn't been with L the entire day, so when he showed up, L looked at him. "Where were you?"

"Out getting candy." Gred looked at L oddly. On the top of L's head was a funny mask of a person pushed up so it wasn't covering his face. "What is that?" Said Gred pointing to the odd mask. L took it off.

"This? It's a 'Hyottoko' mask. It's a funny mask I wear when I go outside, to protect my identity." Gred looked at him oddly.

"So...the whole day you were outside...you wore that thing." L nodded, put it on a desk beside the chair, and continued to lick his lollipop. Gred laughed. "Ok...whatever." L then grabbed a remote off the desk and changed the channel. A TV show kind of like a new version of 'The 3 Stooges' was on. L laughed as the three idiots acted dumb.

"I have had a wonderful day today, how have you been?" Gred giggled and looked at L as if he knew something L did not.

"Oh, just hunky-dory. I wrote down a person's name. I'll have fun watching him die." L didn't seem to care.

"Oh, he isn't dead yet? Oh well." Gred giggled, and then felt something in his throat. He covered his mouth and coughed. As he did, something grainy flew out of his mouth. Gred looked at his hand and saw in it was a small amount of sand. L looked at Gred. "Are you ok?" Gred just looked at his hand dumbstruck.

"Uh...yeah, sure. I'll be back."

"Ok." Gred then walked into the other room and made sure nobody was around. He then kneeled.

"I, Gred, call an audience with the Lord of Death." As he said that, the background began to tear away and was replaced with a dark and gloomy area that was all dark, and odd chains with meat hooks on them hung out of the pitch-black sky. If one were to look up at the sky, they could not tell where the chains hung from for they seemed to continue upward forever. In front of Gred was a giant sphere that hovered above the ground because some of the chains held it up. The same kind of sphere that the shinigami used to look at humans on Earth, only this one was much larger. "My lord and master, I need to talk." The orb turned around to show the other side. The other side was a dark forest green with silver designs. On the front of the green half, a large gold disk with a giant skull attached to it looked at Gred. Below the skull, four tiny skeleton arms with three fingers each hung down. The skull's mouth opened, and a smaller, less human looking skull with four red eyes lowered out of the mouth. It looked at Gred.

"Ah..." Said the smaller skull with a deep, menacing voice. "Gred. I knew you would come soon." Gred looked up at the king, still bowing.

"Today, I coughed up sand." The king laughed with a deep tone that shook the area around him.

"And it shall get worse from there Gred. You disobeyed my law. You must be punished. First, you wrote down the name of a person that in doing so extended another's life. And second, you entered my realm, even though you know the location of your books owner and his heart still beats. That isn't a horrible crime, but it still adds onto the previous one. Your punishment Gred...is death." Gred laughed. "I will let you live to see your fun, only because technically he has some time left yet to die. Many shinigami before you have killed to save a life, but they simply wrote a name and died the same time the person they killed did. Therefore, you too shall die when the person you killed die, but until then you will gradually fade away. You were my greatest assistant Gred, it saddens me so that you must die." Gred laughed even more, and then he coughed up more sand.

"I knew this would kill me. I was bored of this realm. For years, I have wished for death but was not ready to die. I knew this one would kill me, and that is why I did it. Maybe the afterlife...will be a new experience. At least I will get to see the end of the battle of the ages. Hyuk hyuk hyuk." The death king then turned around again.

"Now leave me Gred, you are no longer needed here. Go back to your human. I will find a replacement for you soon." Gred nodded, and then the background once more tore away to reveal the room back in the hotel. However, in the shinigami realm, the king of death laughed loudly. "Foolish Gred...if only he knew what really awaited him after death. Ha ha ha!"

Still in front of the TV in a comfortable chair sat L. At the moment, he was eating a bowl of ice cream watching a movie about humans fighting aliens in the future. From behind him, Gred walked up. "Welcome back Gred. That didn't take long whatever you were doing, only a few minutes." Gred smiled.

"Yes..." He then walked up behind the chair and looked down at L. _Oh, this will be good_ He thought to himself. _I can't wait to see who wins..._

* * *

In Near Birthday's base, Matt sat inside the base on a chair. Near was walking back and forth, while Beyond was hovering above his head upside down. Matt let out his breath and stood up. He walked to the boarded up window and looked out a crack. Outside the sky was gray and dark, and after about five seconds, it began to rain. Matt noticed several cop cars drove by. Matt sighed. "Hey Near, when are we going to actually do anything? All you've been having me do is write down names. Let's go out and look for a way to get L off our case." Beyond laughed and floated over to Matt.

"You highly underestimate L's deductive reasoning and sense of justice. He will never leave us alone unless he dies, and even then, somebody will take his place."

"Then let's kill him. All I need is his name, give it to me." Beyond laughed.

"And where's the fun in that? We need to draw him out, like a mouse you see. We set the trap, bait it with some cheese, the rat comes out to take a bite, and we ensnare him. We need something, or someone to lure him out. Let me pounder on this awhile and you will have a perfect trap. Near, make the boy something to eat. I imagine he's hungry." Near nodded, and then went into another room to get some food.

* * *

A day passed, and on the sidewalk, L walked down the street holding a large swirl lollipop and wearing his odd mask just above his mouth. Behind him, Gred floated, coughing up sand every few minutes. After a while, rain began to fall. L shrugged and kept on walking. "Gred, the past day and so far today, things I like have been occurring to me. I love the rain, and here it is. So odd this world of mine. I say mine not because I own it, but because you are not from here."

"Yeah, I get it *cough* whatever." Gred pulled out a piece of grape candy and shoved it in his mouth. He made a weird face, and spit it out. "What the hell! It tastes like sand!" He pulled out several more, and the same taste appeared. He threw them to the ground. L picked up one still in the wrapper and put it in his mouth.

"Tastes fine to me. Maybe it's just because you're sick and you can't taste the true flavor." Gred growled.

"I'd rather burn in what you humans call hell than lose the flavor of my candy." He then whispered to himself. "Why did I have to write that name?"

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Go back to enjoying your pitiful life." They continued walking for a while, until L walked into a girl while he was looking at Gred. They both fell over, and L's mask fell to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you." He stood up and then reached out to help her up. She took his hand and stood up. The girl looked around 15, had pitch black hair, and brown eyes. She wore a black t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and around her neck was a necklace with a small silver cross on it. She brushed some of the dirt off her. L noticed she had dropped an umbrella, so he picked it up and handed it to her.

"Oh, thank you. Sorry for running into you." L shook his head.

"No, the mistake was all mine. I should have been looking forward rather than behind." He reached in his pocket with the non-sucker holding hand and pulled out a small sucker. "For you." She smiled.

"Why thank you." She took it and put it in the purse around her shoulder. L then put his mask back on. The girl looked up at him and giggled. "Why are you wearing that?" L shrugged, and then turned it so it was on the side of his head instead of over his face.

"I like it."

"You're silly. I'm Alice by the way. Alice York." L then looked at her name, and saw York. He tilted his head from seeing the name.

"I'm...uh...Jeremiah Tia. Pleasure to meet you." She smiled. They looked at each other for a moment, and then Alice blushed.

"Uh, I gotta go. Maybe we will meet again." L smiled.

"Perhaps. Bye." They waved, and then Alice ran past L. "She was beautiful wasn't she Gred?" Gred coughed (either for real or disgust, L could not tell.)

"Sure, why not. Never seen a bucket of slime so lustrous." Then un-expectantly, he coughed, and a spray of sand shot out of his mouth all over L. L brushed the sand off him and threw the sucker in a trashcan on the sidewalk. He then slid his mask back on over his face. "Good god I hate my life."

L walked down the street, wearing his silly mask and hating that he had to wear shoes outside, until he came to a large building with boarded up windows. The building was beside an alleyway and looked as if it had been abandoned for some time. Gred floated up behind L. "Ok kid, are we going somewhere, or are you just wandering around in the rain for no apparent reason." L walked over to the building, and Gred frowned. "Dumb ass." L just looked at the building in confusion.

"Dreadful looking, is it not?"

"You would think by now that you would know I don't care at all about your stupid queries and problems. But yes...it is kind of bleak." L paid no attention to what Gred said and sighed.

"So sad. This whole section of town is full of vibrant buildings and decent homes. This building however has been condemned. I wonder why? Oh well. Not my place to say. Let's go Gred." They then continued onward. Gred began to laugh a little.

_You are safe for now Kira._ Thought Gred. The two continued walking for a few hours until L arrived at a small ice cream shop. L went to the counter and got a chocolate ice cream cone. He sat inside the building on a chair, and took off his mask. He then began to eat his ice cream. A few moments later, he noticed Alice walk in. She smiled as she saw him.

"Hello there." She got a strawberry ice cream and sat across from him. "I guess we were destined to meet again weren't we?"

"I guess we were." Gred stuck out his long, serpentine tongue, showing his disgust.

"So, you don't appear to be with anybody, are you from around here?" He shook his head.

"No, I just moved here. You don't have anybody with you either."

"Yeah, I live in the orphanage up the block. I learned to travel alone early on." L tilted his head again and thought to himself:

_Her name is York...and is an orphan. Odd._ He then cleared his throat. "You are fine just freely telling people you're an orphan? We share something in common."

"What, us telling random people facts about us?"

"No, that we are orphans. I was an orphan ever since I was a baby. I was given to an orphanage called the Wammy house, and raised there my whole life. I moved here with my, uh, foster father."

"Oh, you're lucky. I have no foster parents. I was an orphan as a baby too. All I know is what I've been told about my parents."

"Same here. I was told they were killed by a mass murderer. Luckily, that killer is in prison now." The girl got a look of shock. "What, did I say something?" The girl just shook her head.

"No, sorry. That's too bad. Really it is." L nodded. In reality, Alice was not surprised because L's family was killed by a murderer, but because that is what Alice was told happened to her parents. She then looked up at L.

"Uh, Jeremiah."

"Yes?"

"Would you like to hang out for a while...that is if your free?" She was blushing. L looked at her in surprise. Gred giggled.

"Come on now L, this is the only time a girl has ever asked you out. You need to say something." L sat there for a few seconds.

"Yes...yes I will." Alice smiled.

"Thank you." Gred then smiled.

_Oh, so the plot thickens. _He thought to himself.


	9. Chapter 9

**Inside the Fire**

Back with Kira, Matt sat on a chair playing a portable video game. Near was on a couch sleeping, his fedora over his face. After a few moments of game playing, Beyond flew through the wall with a very upset look. He looked at Matt. "You two." Near jerked up and fell off the couch. Beyond and Matt looked at him dumbly. "Get up Near."

"I'm up."

"Ok, I have some bad news. I was out patrolling the area for police, and I saw L walking by here. He was examining the building. He thought it was odd that this was the only abandoned building in the whole town. I told you we should have chosen a place out in the country."

"I'm sorry Beyond."

"I think we should take a drive." Said Beyond. "Maybe we can find a new base that way. This base is likely to be discovered. We need a base away from people or one that moves. Come, drive we must." Near looked at him.

"Shouldn't we stay here? We can kill anybody that comes near here." Beyond stopped in midair before the door. He turned his head and sneered at Near.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just disobey me. Now, we don't want too many unneeded murders. People will get suspicious that way. Now come." Beyond turned back around and out the door. Near sneered in his direction, grabbed his briefcase off a desk, and walked out as well. Matt and Near followed him into the alley, and then Near pushed a button on the briefcase, set it down, and then backed up. The suitcase then transformed back into the Firebird. Near got in the driver's seat, Matt took shotgun, and Beyond got the back, floating just above the seats.

A few hours pass and night was falling. The group was on the outskirts of town, and Matt was asleep due to the calming noise of the windshield wipers. Near looked out his rearview mirror, and noticed a set of Toyota cars following them, and then cursed. "Matt." He said nudging Matt. Matt woke up and looked at him confused. "The L agents are on our trail, I'll try to lose them." Matt gasped.

"What!" Yelled Matt. Ito giggled.

"And the plot thickens. He he he."

In the car behind them, a large man with sunglasses calls on his cell phone. "Near, this is Andy. I have visual of a car matching the one Kira escaped in. We are in pursuit." He then hung up.

* * *

Walking on the street a few miles away, L walked down the street with Alice back to her orphanage. L was walking with his usual slouch, with his right hand behind his back and his left thumb being nibbled on. Alice held her umbrella over them as the rain fell lightly. Alice looked over at L and giggled. "Why do you walk like that? Do you have back problems?"

"No, this is just the way I walk. It helps me think." L got her to the door of the building and looked at it. "Smaller than the Wammy's House, but still nice." He looked back at Alice.

"I had fun today." She said with a smile.

"Yeah, me too." They looked at each other for a while, almost romantically, Alice blushing slightly, until L's cell phone rang. "Sorry..." He said. He then held it up to his ear, barely hanging on to it. "Hello." Watari spoke.

"L, a Firebird matching the appearance of the one seen earlier has been found. The agents are in pursuit."

"What!" Blurted out L. Alice backed up a little. "Ok, get me a car." L then hung up. He then turned around and looked at Alice. "I'm sorry, that was nothing. I hope I didn't frighten you." She shook her head.

"No, I'm fine." L smiled.

"I had fun today, but I need to go for now." She smiled.

"Ok then, good night. I hope we meet again." She stood there a moment, as did L, then she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, bye." She then waved and walked up the stairs to the building, and then walked in, leaving L in the rain. He had a tracking device in his phone, so Watari knew where to find him. He smiled, and sighed, enjoying the rain lightly falling on his head. Gred giggled behind him.

"L must stand for Love, because you are in it. Hyuk hyuk hyuk." L shook his head.

"What do you know, you're a shinigami." Gred smiled.

"So, I know my fare share of what a love life is like. That shinigami that follows Kira...pretty hot." L rolled his eyes.

"Just keep your pants on and I'll be fine." Gred laughed loudly.

"Right, just so you know, we don't reproduce, so...that doesn't really matter." L nodded.

"Wow...too much info."

"You went there pal. You ask and you shall receive." He then coughed and spit up sand. Then a moment later, a new Mustang rolled up exactly like the other one. L got in and Noticed Near was in the passenger seat.

"Near, what are you doing here? You could be killed." He shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. I want to see this case to the very end. Now, no more discussing, get into the chase." After a while, the car managed to get behind the chase.

L sat back in the back seat, looking out the window. The rain began to fall harder than before until it was pouring. L sighed, and thought about the lovely girl Alice York. He then looked at Watari. "Watari, Near...did I have a sister?" Neither of them looked back.

"Why do you ask?" Said Near.

"I met a girl. She is around 14 and her last name is York. She grew up in an orphanage around here." Watari let out a breath.

"Yes L," Said Watari. "You did in fact have a sister."

"You have a 19 year old brother too." Interrupted Near. "You were all split up as babies after your parents were murdered. Your brother, nobody has heard from since he was adopted other than he now controls New Water Car company. However, your sister on the other hand has remained here. I never told you because I thought it would make you care more about finding them than your duties as L. I hope you understand." L nodded.

"I do. Watari, if I die, I want you to tell her about me, promise me this and I will be happy. You don't have to tell my brother if you don't want to...I imagine he is a very busy man." Watari nodded.

"Yes sir."

"Now," Said L. "as for Kira. I promise you this. Kira will see the face of justice. He will bow before justice and then die in his own blood. There is no atonement for him, and even if I die, as long as there is justice, there is L! True justice shall never be silenced!"

The agents managed to get the car with Kira to turn into an alley with no escape. The Firebird stopped and the agent cars blocked off the exit. L picked up his communicator to instruct the agents. "Line the rooftops, I will deal with him below." The agents got out of their cars, and then all but seven went inside the buildings and worked their way to the roof. L got out of the Mustang with a very serious face. "I've got you now."

* * *

In the Firebird, Near, Matt, and Beyond sat there quiet. Matt was beginning to panic. He was wondering what they were possibly going to do. Near looked at the cops behind them. L walked up to the car slowly and cautiously. Beyond let out a sigh. "It has to be done Near. Your time with me was...entertaining, but to defeat L you must do this."

"Do what?" Said Matt panicked. Near got out of the car slowly, not forgetting to bring his two lucky knives with him.

"Just don't forget what I told you." Said Beyond with a more passionate voice.

"Do not worry master." Said Near. "Your teachings will not be in vain master. Thank you."

"What are you doing?" Said Matt a little more panicked. "You'are not going to sacrifice yourself are you Near? Near?! Near!!!" Mat said shouting loudly. Near brushed away his hair, knife in hand.

"So, you're the big bad..." Then out of the Mustang came the true Near, and he froze. The seven agents that didn't line the roof tops gathered in front of Near, blocking him from the rest. L stood behind them as well. The real Near shook his head.

"I had really hoped you could become the next L someday." Near Birthday didn't speak, he just stood there, confused. "What happened to you? I have no choice, but to use deadly force if you do not come with us willingly." Near Birthday closed his eyes, connecting his thoughts to Beyond with the special bond they shared.

_I'm going to die, aren't I?_ Nobody moved for several minutes, and then Beyond responded with but one, ever freighting word.

_Yes._ Near Birthday opened his blood red eyes once more, a lone tear fell down his cheek. He tightened his grip on the devilish knives, and ran at the blockade of agents in his way. They held up their guns, but as he ran to the first agent, he swung his arms up in an X shape, killing the man with them; he then swung his knives to his sides, stabbing two more agents in the back. Guns fired at him, but with god-like speed, he dodged them, killing another agent, slicing his throat. L and Near backed up, the final three agents blocking them. They ran at him, and Near ran too, and just as he was about to stab the agent in front of him in the head, a gun fired and he dropped his knife. He fell to his knees, feeling only cold and helpless. No feeling was left in his body, his thoughts only being kept alive by the spirit possessing him. Tears fell from his eyes as his life flashed before him. His ice-cold hair had begun to fade to a dark brown, as well as his eyes. The boy that he was had finally came forth once more, no longer was he Near Birthday, but the boy that the evil ghost possessed. He looked at Near, and frowned. He thought words, words that may have shown the true Near that he was no longer evil, but his body did not respond. Then in the depths of his mind, an evil cackle resonated.

_Times up boy..._Then, as if the life within him just vanished, his eyes went blank, and his body fell over, bleeding everywhere. The hole on the back of his head oozing blood like a fountain. The last words to pass through the lonely boys mind after the evil voice of his long time master were only words of the heart, words he could not remember uttering since he was a child.

_Grandpa..._

* * *

As Near Birthday fought the agents, Beyond looked at Matt. "Come with me." He said.

"Where are we going? What's he doing?"

"Just come with me." Said Beyond. Ito smiled.

"Near looks like he is having fun out there. Maybe we should help." Beyond glared at Ito.

"Not funny. Just pay attention and shut up."

"NO!" Yelled Matt. "I have the right to know what the hell is going on here!"

"He is going to die to save you!" Matt looked at him confused, and Beyond smiled, showing his unnaturally sharp teeth. "You are going to be the god the new world. You must live for that to happen. Now, get the hell over here and shut the hell up!" Matt sat in the seat for a few more seconds watching Near slash at two of the agents.

"Fine." Matt said finally and he got up and ran off with Beyond, but what they didn't notice was L sneaking up behind them.

"Where are you going?" Said L from behind. Matt jumped and looked behind him. Beyond looked at L, and smiled. L could not see him, but Beyond didn't care. Beyond looked over and saw Near lifeless on the ground, and then he looked over at Matt.

"Goodbye Matt, I'm done. Near was my only bond to this world. Without him, I must die. I hope you win boy, I really do. Killing L...was my only goal in this world. Do not fail." He then began to laugh manically. A breeze then blew through Beyond, and then he blew away like dust, laughing the whole time. Matt just stood there confused, and then looked back at L. The three agents got a little closer; they were now about 20 feet away, Near standing behind them. Matt looked at Near, examining him closely. He looked like Near Birthday in so many ways, but from what Matt had learned about Near, he figured he was just mimicking his appearance. Matt then looked back at L, who was now in his face. One of the three agents spoke.

"L, we killed him." L grinned widely as he looked at Matt.

"So my friend, it appears we are at a close." L frowned. "It is...unfortunate that some of my men have died, but their sacrifice has saved many." L got even closer, and Matt backed up into the wall behind him. Matt noticed L close his eyes. He then shook his head "Wow, got a headache." He said quietly. Gred began to giggle in the background, his armor becoming more aged looking and sand lightly falling from him. L turned around and walked forward a little bit, standing in front of the agents. He then turned on his heel to face Matt, but as he did he wobbled a bit as if he was dizzy. He held his head a moment, looking at the ground.

"L, are you alright?" Said one of the agents. L nodded.

"Yeah…" He said it slowly. "I'm…I'm fine." He then looked up at Kira and returned his hands to his sides. The agents spread out a little incase Matt did something, the snipers above pointing right at Matt. "Kira, it has come to my understanding that you wanted to be the god of the new world. Well, if you're the god of this, 'new world' of yours, I must be the devil. Ha, kind of funny." Ito looked at Matt.

"How are you going to get out of this mess Matt?" L smiled.

"Your shinigami is right Kira, how are you going to get out of this. You could always use the death note, but then my expert snipers will shoot you down in mid word. But wait, you don't have the eyes anyway, so how could you possibly kill me." L looked right into Matt's eyes, as if looking at his now tainted soul. L's dark baggy eyes and wide smile was beginning to creep Matt out. L laughed some more, and then he stopped. He got a blank look and looked at the ground. His vision was beginning to blur, even though he had the eyes, and his headache was getting worse. "What the hell is wrong with my head?" He whispered to himself. Once again, Gred quietly chuckled. "Well Kira, what are you going to..." L's eyes then got wide, then he grabbed his head and screamed loudly. The agents looked at him as he fell to his knees, still grabbing his head. Matt looked at L in shock as he noticed his ears and nose begin to bleed. Gred began to laugh deep in his throat.

"Oh L...you were fun *cough*, but you bored me by not writing even one name." L looked up at Gred, his ears, tear ducts, and nose bleeding.

"What have you, AHH! What have you done to me!?" L then began to shake and jerk his head in agony. Gred laughed, dust pouring out of the steam holes on his back, and between the cracks of his armor. Gred pulled out his death note and opened it up. On the page was written something in dark blue ink:

_Ryan York, has wonderful time and tracks down Kira, then dies of an aneurysm._

L looked at the writing in shock, as his face turned pale. The agents circled around him, trying to figure out how to help. Watari and Near ran up to L's side and looked at him. Watari had tears in his eyes as L fell into his arms Watari held him close trying to comfort him. L grabbed Watari's shirt collar. "Find...a replacement." He then looked at Near with a disappointed look. "It appears I have made...a mistake..." He then looked up at Watari as if he wanted to say more, let out a breath instead. His eyes then dimmed, and lowered down along with his eyelids... L was dead.

Watari's eyes spilled over with tears as he held the body of L close to him. "He...he was like a son to me." Near nodded, frowning.

"I know Watari, as was he to me." Beside the scene, Gred held up his crumbling arm and pointed at Matt.

"I killed L for my own amusement, not to help you." He then coughed. "However, by doing so, your life has extended, and because of this, I will now die." Gred smiled wide, looking up at the stars above, the rain falling on him making his armor bright and shiny. "I have seen Moses and Hitler *cough*, I have seen the Great War and the Kira's before you. I have killed many humans indeed, and brought shinigami to their graves..." He then looked back at Matt. "But never have I seen some of the shit I've seen here today." He then laughed loudly. "I have lived a good, long life, one I was tired of living. That is why I did this, to die...the most perfect shinigami death. Do not thank me human *cough*, for there is nothing to thank me for. Hyuk hyuk hyuk." He then looked over at Ito, and stuck out his long serpent tongue. He then put it back in his mouth. "Hyuk hyuk hyuk, sayonara hot stuff!" Gred laughed, his loud voice getting louder and louder until it began to boom in the alleyway. His armor lost most of its color, and started to turn to sand and rust. His tube-like arms fell out of his shoulder sockets, and his body began to crumble away, laughing manically the entire time. When his laugh was at its loudest, his body totally collapsed to the ground, leaving only a pile of sand and metal, and his wicked horned Spartan helm on top. The sound of Gred's laughter was burned into the minds of all in the alleyway, and for minutes after his epic death, his evil laugh could still be heard echoing off the walls.

As Matt listened to the laughter echo throughout the alley, he looked at L's corpse in utter shock. "Oh my God…" He said with wide eyes. "L…is dead."


End file.
